PhD & Postdoc

Chaiyut Suksombat

Agricultural Biotechnology · Chulalongkorn University

Chaiyut Suksombat applies multiplex CRISPR-Cas12a editing to reprogram cassava's starch biosynthesis pathway at Chulalongkorn University's Biotechnology department, targeting the GBSSI and SBEIIb genes simultaneously to create a waxy cassava line with near-zero amylose content. Specialty waxy starches — used in food texturisers, paper coatings, and adhesives — currently command a 40–60% price premium over commodity cassava starch, but the plant genetics community has not yet produced a commercially viable waxy cassava variety. Supervised by Prof. Siripong Thammarat, Chaiyut has achieved biallelic editing of both target genes in 34% of regenerated plants across three Thai landrace backgrounds, confirmed by Sanger and Nanopore sequencing. Scanning electron microscopy of granule morphology and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography of the extracted starch show the characteristic rounded, heterogeneous granule shape and >98% amylopectin content of waxy starch phenotypes. A formal research partnership with the Thai Starch Industry Association provides field evaluation plots and downstream processing characterisation, ensuring that Chaiyut's laboratory genetics translate into agronomically and industrially validated varieties.

Thesis Topic

CRISPR-Cas12a Multiplex Editing of Cassava Waxy Starch Biosynthesis Genes for Industrial Specialty Starch Production

Transition Signals