Research

University of Florida Horticultural Sciences Department

Principle Investigator: Dr. Jeongim Kim

January 2024 - Present

Focus

The focus of my project is to enhance the bioactivity of the medicinal plant species, Scutellaria barbata, through metabolic engineering. Scutellaria produces specialized metabolites called deoxyflavones that are responsible for Scutellaria's bioactivity and in turn, numerous health benefits including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-viral properties. My project aims to genetically engineer Scutellaria barbata through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, introducing SbRTO, a gene required for producing the flavone isoscutellarein, into the genome. We hypothesize that introducing SbRTO into the Scutellaria barbata genome will increase specialized metabolite expression, improving the medicinal qualities of this species. 

Responsibilities

I am responsible for following a Scutellaria transformation protocol, ensuring proper collection and documentation of data, and conducting analyses of experimental results. I will employ tissue culture-based Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to genetically engineer Scutellaria. The transformation will be confirmed using polymerase chain reaction, RNA analysis, and western blotting. Once the transgenic line is confirmed, I will quantify metabolites of interest using HPLC analysis.