The DREAM team, with its unique approach to photosynthesis research, recently unveiled many of its latest results at the Second European Congress for Photosynthesis Research (ePS2) held in Padova, Italy, from June 25 to 28. This event, a convergence of natural and artificial photosynthesis experts, provided an excellent platform to highlight the project’s concept and achievements.
Ladislav Nebdal, a senior researcher at the Department of Biophysics at Palacký University Olomouc, presented “Alternating Current Biology: Photosynthesis in Oscillating Light.” This presentation, a product of a collaboration between most of DREAM’s partners, explored how system homology between photosynthesis and complex engineering systems can help study photosynthesis.
Nebdal discussed the dynamic responses of plants and algae to oscillating light, drawing comparisons with electronic circuits. This approach, called ‘A.C. biology,’ has the potential to advance photosynthesis research by applying engineering techniques to understand the dynamics of photosynthesis. “Oscillating light has recently been used in several photosynthesis studies, some with support from DREAM,” Nebdal concluded. At least seven other contributions at the conference, mostly by DREAM partners, were related to this emerging technique.
David Fuente Herraiz, from the Palacký University Olomouc, presented a mathematical model in his talk, “Alternating Current Biology: Mathematical Model to Understand Photosynthesis in Oscillating Light.” The model provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms behind photosynthetic dynamics. It is essential for the DREAM project, as it will help us better understand and optimize photosynthesis. Since the congress concluded, the preprint detailing the model has been viewed over 100 times.
Aliénor Lahlou from Sony CSL presented “Scoring of Light-Stress Response in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii” in the “New Technologies and Perspectives” session. Marcelo Orlando of Sorbonne Université presented his poster “Studying photosynthetic regulation in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii via frequency domain analysis,” which has been downloaded several times.
Other presentations by Ian Coghill (CNRS), Christian Portilla (Eindhoven University of Technology), and Andrea Lodetti and Yuxi Niu (Forschungszentrum Jülich) further demonstrated the depth of the DREAM project’s contributions to the field.
This event marks a significant milestone in our journey to develop sensing technologies for precision agriculture, aiming to improve production and sustainability. It underscores the vital role of interdisciplinary research in addressing global challenges.