Mary-Dell Chilton, a biochemist credited with developing the first genetically modified plant, died on June 24 at her home in Carrboro, North Carolina, at the age of 87 due to congestive heart failure. Her groundbreaking work transformed global agriculture by enabling the genetic engineering of plants for improved traits.
Chilton's key discovery was showing that the bacterium *Agrobacterium tumefaciens* could insert its DNA into plants. She then developed a method to disarm the harmful genes of this bacterium and use it to transfer desirable genes into plant cells. In 1982, while a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, her team successfully transferred a yeast gene into a tobacco plant, demonstrating that this gene could be passed on to subsequent generations. This breakthrough, announced in January 1983, marked the birth of plant genetic engineering.
After her academic work, Chilton moved to the private sector in 1983, joining CIBA-Geigy (which later became Syngenta) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. There, she continued her research, contributing to the genetic engineering of commercially important crops like corn and cotton.
Her contributions were widely recognized with prestigious awards, including the World Food Prize in 2013 and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2023. Her work led to significant advancements in crop resistance to pests, diseases, and extreme weather, with approximately 90 percent of soybeans, cotton, corn, and sugar beets in the United States now being genetically modified. Although views on genetically modified foods remain polarized, Chilton consistently defended the science, asserting its safety and potential to feed humanity.
