Painting with Genes: Creating Colorful Euglena Seeds through Genome Editing

We are exploring how genome editing can unlock new ways to design life at the cellular level. One of our most fascinating projects has been engineering Euglena gracilis to produce seeds in a variety of striking colors. Among them, the pink-hued variants have become a personal favorite—tiny living canvases that showcase both scientific progress and the beauty of biology. This work builds on our recent research into carotenoids, a class of natural pigments that play essential roles in photosynthesis, protection against light stress, and cellular signaling. Earlier this year, we published a paper in Plant Physiology