Genome sequencing and analysis of the Echinacea genome to unravel new natural products

Echinacea purpurea is a popular herbal medicine with a global market of ?$1 billion but there is tremendous variability yet limited distinction between the products on the market. Amway Canada is a leader in the production and distribution of Echinacea products, and now aims to leverage the company`s unique Echinacea resources by sequencing the plant`s genetic code and identifying new and improved traits related to both agriculture and natural health products. The proposed project builds on an ongoing Echinacea breeding collaboration between members of the Department of Biology (Cory Harris) by adding new expertise in genome acquisition and analysis (Nicolas Corradi). Through comparisons of the Echinacea genome with plant relatives, Amway Canada will identify putative new genes and biochemical pathways to guide development of new products with improved medicinal properties for Canadian consumers.

Faculty Supervisor:

Nicolas Corradi

Student:

Mathu Malar

Partner:

Amway Canada

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Program: