Plant Solutions for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Historical Reflections and Future Perspectives

As I write this commentary in late April 2020,the world is scrambling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.COVID-19,short for Coronavirus disease 2019,is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).Globally,more than 3 million people have been infected by COVID-19 and over 200000 people have died of this disease.Normal lives of billions of people around the world are disrupted.The global economic loss is incalculable.Where I am(Massachusetts,USA),universities have closed down since mid-March.Most researchers were sent to work from home,which means in-person lab research has to be abruptly halted.The COVID-19 pandemic ruthlessly deprives us of some of the very basic activities that we take for granted living in a modern society,such as going to work,eating out with friends,and attending social gatherings.As painful as it is,COVID-19 also serves as a wake-up call that reminds us how fragile our society still is when challenged by a pandemic,and much is to be learned about infectious diseases because we still lack effective ways to eradicate them.