Plant Natural Products, Folk Medicine, and biosynthesis of Molecules with Dr. Sarah O’Connor
Summary: Sarah’s research focuses on elucidating biochemical pathways in plants including those involved in the synthesis of the monoterpenes and the alkaloids, the enzymes involved and the evolution of these pathways.<br> Learning with Lowell<br> Welcome today to the learning with Lowell science podcast with your host Lowell Thompson. This podcast was created after I met the doctors that made the drug that would eventually save my life. At that time I was working 2 jobs, going to college full time, and was in and out of the ICU and ER. After I left college I worked 12-16 hour days to pay off my medical and college debt. Many of you work equally, if not longer hours, and don’t have time to current with latest news, develop mentors, and get advice. With this podcast you will see the new technology, advice on how to get into their fields and to learn more, and if I’m doing my job right you can tease out strategies, tactics, and more to use in your every day life. All while enjoying fun long form conversations.<br> This podcast was inspired by the <a href="http://podcasts.joerogan.net/">Joe Rogan</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/">Tim Ferriss</a>, and <a href="https://www.startalkradio.net/">Neil deGrasse Tyson shows</a>.<br> About Sarah O’Connor and Her Lab (<a href="https://www.jic.ac.uk/people/professor-sarah-e-oconnor/">Source</a>)<br> “Sarah’s research focuses on elucidating biochemical pathways in plants including those involved in the synthesis of the monoterpenes and the alkaloids, the enzymes involved and the evolution of these pathways.<br> Sarah works on plants in the mint family (Lamiaceae) and uses modern sequencing and bioinformatics to characterise pathways and identify new genes. This work has led to the development of platforms which allow fast, inexpensive production of compounds.<br> <br> * Monoterpene and alkaloid synthesis<br> * Evolution of biochemical pathways in plants<br> * Synthetic biology for compound production<br> <br> Plants produce hundreds of thousands of complex metabolites called “natural products” that have many uses.<br> Anti-cancer agents such as vinblastine and taxol, the analgesic morphine, and the anti-malarials artemisinin and quinine are each natural products that are produced by a plant. Despite the importance of these compounds, it is unclear how many of these complicated molecules are made by the plant.<br> The O’Connor group elucidates and engineers the metabolic pathways that construct these compounds from simple building blocks.<br> An understanding of these pathways allows us to harness the wealth of compounds and biocatalysts that plants have provided.<br> Moreover, the group can also begin to speculate how and why plants evolved to produce some of these molecules. They take a multi-disciplinary approach to answering research questions, using plant molecular biology, enzymology and chemical strategies in their group.”<br> Awards (from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_O%27Connor">Wiki</a>)<br> <br> * 2019 – <a title="Royal Society of Chemistry" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_of_Chemistry">Royal Society of Chemistry</a> <a title="Perkin Prize for Organic Chemistry" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin_Prize_for_Organic_Chemistry">Perkin Prize for Organic Chemistry</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_O%27Connor#cite_note-RSC_May_19-4">[4]</a><br> * 2018 – <a title="European Research Council" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Research_Council">European Research Council</a> (ERC) Advanced Grant<br> * 2017 – Elected to <a title="European Molecular Biology Organization" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Molecular_Biology_Organization">European Molecular Biology Organization</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_O%27Connor#cite_note-5">[5]</a><br> * 2013 – <a class="new" title="Wain Medal (page does not exist)" href="ht..."></a>
