principal investigators
paul anderson ph.d., biochemistry, University of Minnesota Dr. Anderson coordinates the Office of International Programs. Te personnel in this group have responsibility for the translation of plant scientific advances into products that have impact on the ground in Africa and Asia. Te group has a substantial amount of private sector experience in agricultural product development. Collaborative product development efforts in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and South Africa are underway. The primary crop efforts for developing countries are at present focused on cassava.
ivan baxter ph.d., macromolecular and cellular structure and chemistry, Te Scripps Research Institute
Dr. Baxter uses high-throughput elemental profiling to investigate how the interaction of genes and the environment determines the elemental composition of plants, principally corn and soybeans. Te goal of the research is to identify genes that will permit crop plants to grow on marginal soils, with fewer inputs or with improved nutritional content.
roger beachy ph.d., botany and plant pathology, Michigan State University
Dr. Beachy’s research builds on breakthrough discoveries made in the 1980s that resulted in the first transgenic crop, a virus-resistant tomato. Dr. Beachy and his colleagues investigate how viruses enter plant cells, are replicated and spread throughout the host, and indentify host genes that respond to infection. Tese studies will lead to new methods to control virus disease in plants.
claude fauquet ph.d., biochemistry, University of Strasbourg
Dr. Fauquet directs the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology (iltab). iltab has a threefold mission: to improve tropical crops through the application of molecular biology and biotechnology, to aid developing countries by training scientists and transferring useful biotechnologies, and to help coordinate biotechnology research on tropical crops worldwide.
eliot herman ph.d., biology, University of California, San Diego
Dr. Herman investigates the cell biology of seeds, specifically looking at the processes that allow seeds to accumulate proteins. A major focus is soybean, a plant whose seeds are an important source of human and animal nutrition— especially of high quality protein. Dr. Herman’s work aims to modify seed proteins to eliminate allergenic properties, increase nutritional value, and to engineer seeds to produce foreign proteins to enhance value for food, feed, as well as industrial and biomedical processes.
jan jaworski ph.d., biochemistry, Purdue University
Recently, there has been interest in improving the nutritional and economic value of seed oils in such plants as soybean, corn, and canola. Dr. Jaworski studies components of the metabolic pathways that plants use to synthesize oils. Tis work will facilitate modification of seed oil composition and quantity and lead to new uses for these oils.
page 4 2009 scientific report the donald danforth plant science center
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