Odd-Arne Olsen

Odd-Arne Olsen (born in 1947) is a Norwegian plant geneticist and molecular biologist.^[1][2]

He is recognized for his work on the development of cereal endosperm and research on foods with increased nutritional content^[3][4]and for leading Norway´s contribution to the sequencing of bread wheat chromosome 7B as part of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium where Olsen´s group at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences sequenced chromosome 7B.^[5][6]

This work has been described in international science media, such as Nature, The Atlantic, Phys.org and Science and Aftenposten as a key step toward understanding the wheat genome^[7][8][9] and helping scientists develop better, more resilient and potentially less allergenic crop varieties, with possible long-term benefits for global food security.^[10][11][12]

Olsen’s team identified hundreds of wheat genes, including many linked to allergenic proteins, highlighting the potential for improved crop varieties.^[7] The wheat genome sequencing project — including contributions from Olsen’s group — was reported in Nature as a breakthrough in understanding the complex history and structure of bread wheat’s genome.^[13] Olsen is a professor emeritus at NMBU.^[14]

Over a decades of research work Olsen´s work had impact shown through scholarly citations ^[15][16] and public coverage.

Odd-Arne Olsen is educated in genetics from the University of Oslo (UiO) with a PhD in agricultural science from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NLH now NMBU). He worked in the Norwegian biotechnology program at UiO and NLH for a decade, and from 2001 at the companies Pioneer Hi-Bred DuPont and Monsanto in the USA, before returning to the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).^[17][18][19]

He is the editor of Endosperm: Developmental and Molecular Biology, a comprehensive volume on cereal endosperm published by Springer.^[20]

He is also the author of the book På genjakt etter mer og bedre mat (2024)^[21], which provides a comprehensive overview of plant biotechnology, including methods of genetic modification and gene editing, with examples drawn from industrial applications and research history in Norway and internationally.^[22][23][24]

Olsen has participated in and contributed to public debates^[25] and discussions on genetically modified food (GMO) and food security in Norway, including in leading newspapers such as Nationen, NRK and Aftenposten.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

Olsen´s research focused on the development of cereal endosperm.^[31][32] including the genetic regulation of aleurone cell development, the role of the cytoskeleton in endosperm morphogenesis.^[33] Olsen and his collaborators demonstrated that ADP-glucose for starch synthesis in barley endosperm is produced in the cytosol rather than in the amyloplasts, a discovery that later formed the basis for patents.^[34][35] He also led studies that revealed the essential role of DEK1 in several developmental processes, including in the moss Physcomitrium patens.^[36]

Olsen´s research group at NMBU contributed to the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium by sequencing wheat chromosome 7B in collaboration with Graminor and several national and international partners.^[37] Using the new reference genome, Olsen´s research group mapped seed-borne allergens and immunoresponsive proteins across bread wheat´s 21 chromosomes^[38] and provided light on the origin of wheat ^[39] and characterized transcriptome of wheat endosperm.^[40]

Olsen is also a co-inventor on several patents in plant biotechnology.^[41][42] In collaboration with Danisco A/S, Olsen is co-inventor on a patent for transgenic plants, including genetically modified potatoes that contain integrated nucleotide sequences enabling the production of specific sugar derivatives from sucrose within plant cells, a tool used in plant biotechnology research involving crop metabolic engineering.^[43][44]

He also collaborated with Pioneer Hi-Bred International on a gene expression system and was co-inventor of a patent for an aleurone-tissue-specific promoter (LTP2), which directs gene expression in the aleurone layer of developing cereal seeds such as maize, rice and barley and can be applied in research involving tissue-specific expression of genes in crop plants.^[45] He now serves as Professor emeritus at NMBU.^[46][47]

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