For many years the Graminea to which corn belongs were believed quite incorrectly to be refractory to transformation because infection does not elicit a tumerigenic response. As a result of this pioneering work the US patent office has issued a number of patents. Goldman then extended his interest in plant transformation to the important legume soybeans. As a result, a tissue culture independent, cultivar independent genetic engineering protocol was developed to produce transgenic beans. The importance of this development can not be overstated in that many important commercial soybean lines are recalcitrant to tissue culture.
Additional patents are pending.
Currently, Dr. Goldman is Professor of Biology and the Director of the Plant Science Research Center at the University of Toledo. This is an interdisciplinary unit, independent of departmental association and reports directly to the Vice Provost of Research.