Professor Thomas Baum’s Laboratory in Iowa State’s Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology hosted the 2026 Molecular Plant Nematology Meeting at Iowa State May 13-14. The group included scientists specializing in plant-parasitic nematode research from Cambridge University, England; University of California-Davis; University of Tennessee, and Kansas State, among others. The researchers met to discuss and share recent science advancements, ways to collaborate on projects and identify funding opportunities.
In addition, Professor Sebastian Eves-van den Akker, Plant-Parasite Interactions Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, England, presented a seminar for Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology faculty, staff and students on “3D printing and Al enabled large-scale genetic screens in plant-parasitic nematodes.”
Baum and his team of researchers shared findings on several areas of interest pertaining to soybean cyst nematode (SCN), which stemmed from projects initially funded by the ISRC.
Anil Kumar, a post-doctoral researcher in Baum’s lab, presented research findings focused on cyst nematode Gland1 effector characterization, which was chosen for exploration during Baum’s ISRC-funded project titled, “Mechanisms of Defense Suppression by Cyst Nematode Effectors”. Baum discovered a small group of molecules called effectors in cyst nematodes that suppress or inactivate plant immunity.
Chunoti Changwal, also a post-doctoral researcher in Baum’s lab, presented findings on decoy engineering to control SCN which is supported by an ISRC-funded project titled, “Using AI to Decode SCN Effector Functions to Engineer Durable Soybean Resistance.”
Tom Maier, a research scientist and Baum’s laboratory manager, discussed gland cell biology and the advancements of plant-parasitic nematode single cell and single nuclei transcriptomics, which were derived from the ISRC-funded project on “Cyst Nematode Single-Cell Omics.”
Each of these projects can be found on the ISRC website under Research.
