Mary-Dell Chilton, an American biochemist and a founding figure in modern plant biotechnology, passed away on June 24, 2026. Her groundbreaking work revolutionized our understanding of gene transfer mechanisms between Agrobacterium tumefaciens and plant cells. In 1977, her team provided definitive evidence that fragments of Agrobacterium Ti plasmid DNA were stably incorporated into the nuclear DNA of crown gall tumor cells. This discovery, published in Cell (Chilton et al., 1977), laid the foundation for plant genetic engineering and the development of transgenic plants, which have since become a cornerstone of modern agriculture.
Her exceptional contributions were widely recognized, including the World Food Prize (2013) and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation (2023), awarded by President Joe Biden. She was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in the United States.
As Léon Otten noted, she was “an exceptional example of a scientist, both a gifted experimentalist and a brilliant theorist.” Her legacy endures through ongoing research in plant biology, from GMOs to emerging genome-editing technologies, and continues to inspire the scientific community, including researchers at the IBMP.
