Dilip joined the Danforth Center on November 1, 2001, the same day that our original building was inaugurated. 鈥淲hen I first came to the Danforth Center, I was suddenly working with PIs that studied plant cell biology, plant structural biology, plant biochemistry. It was really very exciting to have the opportunity to collaborate with them. It was extremely gratifying,鈥� explains Dilip.

Dilip鈥檚 lab studies how plants defend themselves against fungal diseases. The goal of their research is to discover new ways to enable plants to better protect themselves from fungal attacks. To do this, they research antifungal peptides that have the ability to kill pathogens. Once Dilip鈥檚 lab understands how a peptide eliminates a pathogen, his lab can then apply the peptides to make crops resistant to a specific disease. 

One of the fungal diseases that Dilip and his lab are researching is Gray Mold Disease, which causes multi-millions of US dollars in pre- and postharvest losses across the world. Gray mold is caused by a fungus Botrytis cinerea that can infect flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Dilip鈥檚 lab is working on technology that, when applied, could potentially control gray mold in multiple economically important plants. 

Dilip鈥檚 work also has significant implications for the future of food security. In agriculture, 15-20% of crops are lost each year because of the fungal diseases. By making plants more disease resistant, Dilip could reduce that statistic. For a smallholder farmer where each bushel is critical to feeding the community, reducing crop loss could drastically improve human health.