Pharmacognosy & Metabolic Engineering

ABOUT THE COURSE: Pharmacognosy broadly covers the study of medicinal plants. Through diverse specialized pathways plants produce a wealth of phytochemicals often termed as natural products or specialized metabolites, many of which are useful to us as drugs, dye, flavouring agents, and nutraceuticals. Advances in our understanding of the biosynthetic pathways ledto cloning of genes encoding many of the important biosynthetic enzymes of these complex pathways.It may now be possible to design strategies to alter biosynthetic routes leading to enhanced production of desired products of pharmaceutical importance. This has been termed as metabolic engineering. This course provides knowledge about the various types of specialized metabolites such as alkaloids, phenolics and terpenoids thatare synthesized by plants through specific metabolic pathways.The principal focus would beon thebiotechnological approaches that can be used to increase or manipulate the production ofthese commercially important compounds mainly through the application of metabolic engineering strategies.INTENDED AUDIENCE: PG students of Biotechnology, Agriculture, Botany, Biochemistry and UG Biotechnology.PREREQUISITES: Knowledge of basic biology and chemistry at 10+2 level. Appropriate basic background knowledge will be imparted while introducing each thematic topic.INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Dabur, Himalaya, Patanjali are industries that make herbal products will recognize this course.