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Underutilized/orphan crops for nutrition, health, and food security

Underutilized/orphan crops have great potential to address global issues of malnutrition, diet-related health problems, and food security in the face of climate change.  We are using molecular-genetic and biotechnological tools to improve desirable traits such as yield, nutritional quality, and stress resilience of underutilized/orphan crops such as tef (Eragrostis tef) and major crops. Orphan crops have a great potential to enhance food security due to their nutritional quality, health benefits, and abiotic stress resilience. Because tef grains accumulate high amounts of macro- and micronutrients, we are studying micronutrient bioavailability and transport mechanisms.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tef

Combining Omics and Molecular Biotechnology

The overarching goal of the Osena Lab is to identify novel genes for trait improvement in economically important crops. We use transcriptomics to identify target genes and functionally characterize them using molecular biotechnologies, including CRISPR-Cas and transgenic approaches in model and economically important crops. We are also optimizing genetic transformation techniques for tef and other crops.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of rice

Studying the antioxidant properties of grain extracts

We found that tef grain extracts have antioxidant activity in human cell model THP-1 monocytes. We are studying the molecular mechanisms of the antioxidant properties and underlying bioactive compounds.

Extracts from brown tef grain have higher antioxidant  properties in THP-1 monocytes

Understanding plant interactions with environmental contaminants

We are also studying the interaction of plants with emerging environmental contaminants, including microplastics, antimicrobials, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in collaboration with Clemson University and USDA-ARS.

Emerging environmental contaminants