CRISPR-Based Gene Editing: A Solution for Global Food Security

Shakeel Ahmad, PhD, is Senior Scientific Officer and Consultant at the Seed Center and Plant Genetic Resources Bank, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he is also Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology. He and his team are curating the plant gene bank and developing the DNA fingerprints of available plant genetic resources using genomics and molecular tools. Dr. Ahmad has published research articles and book chapters and serves as an editorial board member for several journals. He is a member and an ambassador of the American Society of Plant Biologists, USA, and other professional organizations.

Asif Ali Khan, PhD, is Chairperson of the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority, Islamabad, Pakistan. He is a Professor Emeritus and UNESCO Chair and former Professor and Vice Chancellor of MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan. He has authored books as well as chapters and manuals and over 150 research articles. He developed several varieties of crops and vegetables for general cultivation and has contributed to breeding FH 87, a high oil content cotton variety as well as many promising cotton lines. He has launched several R&D, outreach and capacity-building projects with international and local organizations.

Muhammad Arshad Javed, PhD, is Professor and Head of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. He has over 29 years of teaching, research, and development (R&D) experience. His expertise in plant sciences covers molecular genetics, tissue culture, haploid plant breeding, and agronomy. He formerly served at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia. He has research grants from national and international agencies. He has published over 65 research articles in international peer-reviewed journals and presented over 60 conference papers at different national and international conferences.