Synthetic Biosystems for the Production of High Value Plant Metabolites
 The objective of the PhytoMetaSyn Project is to determine the metabolic pathways of selected plants by which the plants produce high value added metabolites and reproduce these pathways in the common yeast cell such that the yeast cells produce the same compounds.
It has been said that plants are the world's best chemists. Through biosynthetic pathways incorporating genes and enzymes, they can synthesize a immense diversity of molecules. These molecules are referred to as metabolites, as they are a result of the metabolic processes of the plants. These metabolites have been used as traditional medicines and the commercial potential of these metabolites has recently been recognized. Commercial applications of the metabolites include pharmaceuticals (analgesics, cough suppressants anticancer drugs), flavouring agents, insecticides, fragrances and industrial applications such as resins. The production of these metabolites by plants however, has limited opportunities for commercialization given the quantities of metabolites produced by the plants, challenges in harvesting the plants and extracting the desired metabolite and the time required for plant growth. If however, the pathways resulting in the production of these metabolites in plants could be transferred to other organisms, the potential for the commercialization of these high value metabolites may be possible.
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Project Overview Diagram
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This project is supported by Genome Alberta and Genome Canada, a private, non-profit corporation whose mandate is to develop and implement a national strategy in genomics and proteomics research for the benefit of all Canadians. http://www.genomealberta.ca |
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 Plants of Interest
Approximately seventy-five plant species are being studied in the project. The plant species were selected on the basis of the following criteria:(1) the natural product composition of the species; (2) the commercial importance of the plant and/or the natural products; and (3) the availability of sufficient tissue for RNA and metabolite isolation.
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 Project Organization and Management
The project has in place a management structure which facilitates decision - making and control, freeing the researchers up to undertake the research activities of the project.
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 Data Access and Release Policy
Data will be released to public databases in accordance with Genome Canada's policy on Data Release and Resource Sharing. Various methods will be used to share the data generated on this project including:
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 Funding
The total project budget is $13,602,100 over 4 years of which Genome Canada contributed $6,443,100. Other project funders include Genome British Columbia, Genome Alberta, Genome Prairie, Genome Quebec, the National Research Council, Ontario Ministry of Innovation and Research, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Brock University and industry.
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 The Science Advisory Board
The reseach team receives advice and guidance from an external group of experts in the related research disciplines. The members of the Scientific Advisory Board work with the project researchers to maximize the successful outcome of the project.
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 Publications
Publications of the Principle Investigators for the PhytoMetaSyn Project can be viewed on the websites as listed for each Investigator in the section titled Our People.
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