 is Jella and I'm a researcher at the International Rice Research Institute. I specialize in molecular biology and biotechnology. This means that I work with DNA, RNA or proteins and use laboratory techniques to find out their function and possible applications. I also try to look for ways in which rice can become more nutritious by transforming genes involved in iron and zinc accumulation. In this video, I will talk about how we improve rice by increasing its iron and zinc content. According to the World Health Organization, more than 2 billion people globally suffer from micronutrient deficiencies such as iron and zinc deficiencies and the most vulnerable group are women and children. We all need iron to have healthy red blood cells and we need zinc to have a strong immune system. Usually, we get these nutrients from meat, shellfish, and legumes. But as we all know, not all of us can have access to these food items every day. At ERI, we are figuring out a way to help rice-eating populations get these nutrients from rice. The research I will share with you is a process of improving nutritional content of crops called biofortification. This can be achieved through agronomic practices, conventional breeding, or biotechnology-based approaches like genetic engineering and genome editing. Here, I will highlight iron and zinc biofortification in rice using genetic engineering. So, how do we biofortify rice? We are developing iron and zinc biofortified rice using the genetic engineering approach because conventional breeding efforts are hindered by low genetic variability for the acquired iron concentration in polished or milled rice. We insert genes in rice using a naturally occurring soil microorganism called agrobacterium tumor fashions. The genes we use in developing high iron and zinc rice are for iron storage and iron chelator which can bind both iron and zinc. Various molecular biology techniques are used to evaluate and characterize degenerated transgenic rice such as polymerase chain reaction or PCR, gel electrophoresis, quantitative PCR or QPCR, and southern blot analysis. To quantify iron and zinc levels in rice grains, we submit our samples to our analytical service laboratory or ASL or ICP OES analysis. Apart from evaluating high iron and zinc rice in the laboratory, glass house, and screen house, it is also evaluated in the fine tests to check if it has good agronomic performance and if iron and zinc levels will remain high in field setup because products of genetic engineering are highly regulated. We need to follow strict protocols for its usage, storage, and transport. Our laboratory is accredited by the excellence through stewardship which shows our commitment to achieve global level standards. The Department of Science and Technology Biosafety Committee or DOSDBC oversees the implementation of transgenic experiments by ensuring that the biosafety measures are strictly followed. We also coordinate with the Bureau of Plant Industry or BBI which monitors all activities requiring movement of transgenic materials. In three of our recent confined tests, we found significantly higher levels of iron from 8 to 14 milligrams per kilogram and zinc from 21 to 42 milligrams per kilogram among the top three iron and zinc biofortified rice events. Iron and zinc biofortified rice also showed good agronomic performance. In summary, our research shows that iron and zinc biofortified rice can complement other nutrition interventions to alleviate iron and zinc deficiencies. Currently, regulatory data on molecular characterization and safety assessment are being generated. We also aim to conduct mobilitation trials to check if the iron and zinc levels as well as agronomic performance will remain the same in different environmental conditions. The generated data will be used by regulatory bodies to assess the safety of the new biofortified crop.