Plants with anti-cancer potential: John Innes Centre partners on agrifood research projects

02 Apr 2019 --- In a bid to uncover anti-cancer properties in plants and enhance crop production, the John Innes Centre, UK, is collaborating with partners in China on four different agrifood research projects. The projects have a wide reach, stretching from the link between microbes and plants, to the anti-cancer properties that some plants used in traditional Chinese medicine may hold, for example.

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Carole Mundell set the projects in motion during her visit to the Centre of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Science (CEPAMS) in Shanghai, China. The projects will expand research links between Norwich, Beijing and Shanghai. They will be led by four newly-appointed CEPAMS principal investigators, in collaboration with John Innes Centre colleagues.

CEPAMS is a partnership of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the John Innes Centre, and is touted as being “one of the most advanced Sino-UK collaborations in the life sciences.”

Professor Mundell says the projects showed UK and Chinese scientists working in partnership to tackle global problems. “All four projects are excellent examples of how by combining our expertise and sharing information, we can find solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges,” she said.

What each project involves
Two of the projects focus on the link between microbes and plants and how this correlation can influence crop yields, reduce disease and allow for the use of fewer chemicals.

An additional project will investigate the anti-cancer properties that some plants used in traditional Chinese medicine may hold. This project will be carried out in collaboration with the UK’s Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, London.

CEPAMS researchers in ShanghaiThe fourth project will examine the molecular responses of plants to environmental stresses, such as heat and drought. This part of the research is aimed at uncovering ways for crops to adapt to the changing climate conditions.

Twenty-two UK-China collaborative research projects have been funded between 2014 and 2018, building on the expertise of the three CEPAMS campuses in Norwich, Beijing and Shanghai.

“CEPAMS has significantly enhanced the collaboration between British and Chinese scientists since 2014,” says Professor Bin Han, Director of the Shanghai Institute for Plant Physiology and Ecology.

The projects are supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the UK and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in China. 

The research projects come at a time when climate change and its adverse effect on crops are increasingly becoming a concern. Global organizations are trying to raise awareness on food shortage which may increase due to declining crops. According to a team of researchers at the University of Göttingen, Germany, genetically engineering our food may prove to be a viable route for alleviating crop shortages in areas of the globe prone to arid conditions as a result of climate change. In addition to offering a reduction in harmful pesticide use, these solutions can make crops more resilient and fertile.

Food security, optimal nutrition and biodiversity are threatened by the lack of diversity in our diets, according to a recent report released by Knorr – a Unilever brand – and The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Coined the Future 50 Foods report, the companies have teamed up with scientists, nutritionists and agricultural experts to offer a “tangible solution” to monotonous diets: 50 foods that the global population should eat more of to promote a sustainable global food system. As well as highlighting ingredients with potential, the report offers recipe tips and ideas for consumers to incorporate them into their diets.

Moreover, when it comes to sustainable food practices, chefs may play an “agents of change” role, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Chefs can navigate people towards healthier diets, sustainable food production and reduced food waste, as well as lead the fight against hunger and malnutrition. This was a key take out from an international symposium hosted by FAO, UNESCO and the Government of France.