The Biotechnology Research Institute was founded in 1989. The institute has plant cell engineering research laboratory, plant genetic engineering research laboratory, detection research laboratory of GMOs and evaluation research laboratory of bio-safety. It is engaged into the key sci-tech research issues on the production and development of Shanghai modern urban agriculture.

The institute's major research strengths are in the fields listed as follows:

1. Technological innovation and application for high efficiency biotechnological breeding

lTechnology development of haploid cell engineering, molecular marker assistant breeding and gene engineering for main cereal crops

lHaploid technologies of cell engineering for breeding

In specific, the research contents include establishing the high frequency regeneration technologies of microspore culture for main cereal crops including barley, hulless barley, wheat and rice; developing the platform based on microspore cellular and molecular breeding technologies; producing outstanding germplasms and elite varieties (lines) with good tolerance or resistance to stress and disease, as well as the enriched nutrients and functional ingredients; and promoting the application of innovative technologies and varieties (lines) in agricultural production.

2. Technologies of gene engineering for breeding

Taking synthetic biology as its primary research field and by using highly efficient editing technology for multiple genomic sites, long DNA fragment shuffling and directed evolution screening system, the team aims to create various biosynthetic or metabolic systems, thus obtaining new crop germplasms with highly efficient nitrogen fixation and carbon utilization, super-high yield, high nutritive and homologous medical values. Using multi-gene coexpression technology, the research team delves into the degradation of organic pollutants, such as polyaromatic hydrocarbon and acrylamide. The team has been actively engaging in the isolation, functional characterization and molecular mutagenesis of new glyphosate-resistant genes from different biomaterials. 

3. Technologies of GM detection and safety evaluation

Taking a variety of transgenic plants (soybean, cotton, maize) as research objects and aiming at characteristics of multi-gene expression of different genetically modified products, the team makes comprehensive use of many international advanced technologies to establish internationally advanced environment and food safety assessment system of genetically modified organisms and critical technologies of rapid detection, providing significant technical support for the completion of China's new generation of genetically modified products' environment and food safety, product identification, standardized planting, and efficient supervision.