Recent Advances in Transgenic Crops: a Review

In recent years there has been a tremendous increase in the application of transgenic crop for the production and development of variety of commercially valuable biological molecules for the purpose of human and animal healthcare. Intriguingly, recent advancement made transgenic crops (as a whole and cell culture systems) as a melting pot or biological factories for the production of large-scale quantities of antibodies, antigens and/or vaccine epitopes, metabolic enzymes, hormones, neuropeptides and a variety of biologically active complexes and secondary metabolites for direct use as therapeutic agents or diagnostic tools in the medical healthcare industry. Transgenic crop researches rely on the methods of transformation either by indirect Agrobacterium mediated or direct gene transfer. The “first generation “of transgenic crops were aimed at improving traits involving single genes. Now we are on the verge of a new step in crop modification, fueled by the rate at which new genes (important for plant growth and development metabolism and stress tolerance) characterized. Reinforcement of resistance against insectpests and pathogens attack using genetic engineering has proven to be an effective strategy to develop resistant crop plants and that could offer a remedy, allowing more precise targeting of pest and disease management. Transgenic technology has been pivotal in the full spectrum of these new developments, from gene identification to an improved understanding of their regulation, as well as genetic transformation involving more complex transfers of many genes simultaneously. As the products of genetically modified crops or transgenic crops make their way from concept to commercialization, the associated risks and acceptance by the public sector has been become a major challenge. In this paper, we revisit the recent advances made in the genetically modified crops for their improvement and protection.