Ying-Bo Mao

Ying-Bo Mao studies molecular interactions between plants and insects. Her research focuses on insect-plant immune recognition and signal transduction, as well as the development of new technologies for pest control. She investigates how insect effectors enter plant cells to modulate defense signaling, and how plants utilize insect spits to recognize herbivory through reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts. She was awarded the First Prize of the Shanghai Natural Science in recognition of her contributions to the development of RNA interference-based pest control technologies. Her studies have been published in high-impact journals, including Nature Biotechnology, Nature communications, Molecular Plant and PNAS.