A collaboration between the Hanson Lab and the labs of Beth Ahner at Cornell University and Steve Long at the University of Illinois resulted in a publication in Nature Plants. The work done is a proof of principle showing that plants can be used to produce designer proteins. Engineered plants producing cellulase protein Cel6A, and with enough sun, water and fertilizer, were able to grow normally in the field. A Cornell Chronicle article, “Designer plants one step closer to growing low-cost medical, industrial proteins“, goes into more detail about this work and includes a video illustration.