Dr Siddharth Tiwari

Scientist F, BRIC-NABI

Profile

I hold a Master's degree in Genetics from Barkatullah University, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), India, acquired between 1999 and 2001. I then pursued Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology from CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), India, from 2002 to 2008 on a thesis titled "Genetic Transformation in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and Studies on the Expression of Promoters and a δ-endotoxin Coding Insecticidal Gene" reflects my focus on genetic manipulation in crops. Since July 2010, I have been a part of the National Agri-food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) in Mohali (Punjab), where I currently hold the position of Scientist F. My involvement in the banana biofortification project dates back to its inception in November 2012, supported by BIRAC, Government of India. Our laboratory has been at the forefront of banana genome editing, with several publications in the field. We have successfully translated our technological advancements into tangible products, exemplified by the development of pro-vitamin A-rich biofortified banana fruit.

Current Focus Areas

  • My team is working towards banana biofortification using various biotechnological approaches.

Selected Publications

  • Alka Jangra, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Sonia Sihag, Garima Sharma, Siddharth Tiwari and Vinod Chhokar (2023) Identification and functional characterization of a novel aldo–keto reductase from Aloe vera. Planta. 258:107 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-023-04256-3

  • Neha Thakur, Flowerika, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Siddharth Tiwari* (2023). Wheat derived glucuronokinase as a potential target for regulating ascorbic acid and phytic acid content with increased root length under drought and ABA stresses in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Science. 331:111671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111671

  • Praveen Awasthi, Shahirina Khan, Hiralben Lakhani, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Shivani, Navneet Kaur, Jagdeep Singh, Atul Kumar Kesarwani, Siddharth Tiwari* (2022). Transgene-free genome editing supports the role of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4 as a negative regulator of β-carotene in banana. Journal of Experimental Botany. 73:3401–3416. doi:10.1093/jxb/erac042

  • Navneet Kaur, Anshu Alok, Shivani, Pankaj Kumar, Navjot Kaur, Praveen Awasthi, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Pankaj Pandey, and Siddharth Tiwari* (2020). CRISPR/Cas9 directed editing of lycopene epsilon-cyclase modulates metabolic flux for β-carotene biosynthesis in banana fruit. Metabolic Engineering. 59:76-86. doi: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.01.008

  • Navneet Kaur, Anshu Alok, Shivani, Navjot Kaur, Pankaj Pandey, Praveen Awasthi, and Siddharth Tiwari* (2018). CRISPR/Cas9 mediated efficient editing in phytoene desaturase (PDS) demonstrates precise manipulation in banana cv. Rasthali genome. Functional & Integrative Genomics. 18:89-99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-017-0577-5

Skills & Proficiency

Biofortification Banana Genome Editing Genetic Engineering Hidden Hunger Horticulture Crops Molecular Biology Metabolic Engineering Nutritional Security Plant Tissue Culture
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