Update:
There is no research progress to report yet. However, we have been able to identify a postdoctoral researcher through a open search who will start work on the project within the next three months at the latest. It is our hope that work permit paperwork will be obtained much faster.
Update:
Since the last progress report, we were waiting on the processing of immigration paperwork to hire our new postdoctoral researcher, Dr Chunoti Changwal. On March 25, 2024 Dr. Changwal was finally able to join our group and has been fully on-boarded. Before her start date, I had assembled the requisite information about this ISA-funded project and had informed Dr. Changwal about the details pertaining to the required soybean promoters, the ‘Intein’ RNA recombination system, and the soybean hairy root technology that we have established in our laboratory. Dr. Changwal is now working through all this information and is starting actual bench work towards implementing the missing techniques and resources and to perform the first of the proposed experiments. The project will now pick up speed and is expected to move along on schedule.