Image of the Month: The greenhouse inside the lab
In addition to conducting groundbreaking biomedical research, Baylor College of Medicine is also creating better foods to address global food security issues. The lab of Dr. Kendal Hirschi is dedicated to understanding the basic mechanisms of plant growth and simultaneously leveraging this knowledge to affect yield and nutrient content in agriculturally important crops.
“We integrate plant biology and nutritional studies working with animal and human subjects,” said Hirschi, professor of pediatrics-nutrition at Baylor. “We utilize a broad-based research program that incorporates a variety of model systems to conduct both basic and translational research. What makes the group unique is our ability to leverage our science for nutritional improvements in plants.”
Currently, the Hirschi lab is excited about discerning the roles of cation exchanger (CAX) transporters in plant’s flooding tolerance. See the publication in Plant Physiology. They are also interested in improving plant’s heat tolerance.
The Hirschi lab is part of the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor, which houses laboratories, state-of-the-art equipment, a greenhouse, observation labs, research volunteer accommodations, a metabolic kitchen and an elite group of research scientists.
Learn more about the Hirschi lab and its research projects, here, and read interviews with Hirschi in From the Labs:
- New gene to make plants heat-tolerant in rising temperatures
- Plant integration in the Kendal Hirschi Lab
Follow From the Labs on Twitter @BCMFromtheLabs.
