Speaker Details

Biography

Dr Latha Rangan is currently Professor at the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. She obtained her PhD in 2001 and had post-doctoral stints on rice transformation in United Kingdom. Her main focus of research has been on in areas of Applied Biodiversity with special reference to bioresources of Northeast India using an integrative approach. Prof. Rangan has been successful in combining the old with the new, because nature is our prototype. The work has laid foundation for new ways to detect, authenticate, protect and exploit biodiversity, for instance as resource for sustainable agriculture taking the case of the useful medicinal plants. In brief applied biodiversity research has helped in tapping bioresources from wilderness to mining ‘OMICS’. She has published over 90 articles as scientific papers, book chapters, conference proceedings and reviews. She is an Elected Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India and recipient of awards such as Prof Hiralal Chakravarty Award of Indian Science Congress, Women Scientist Award of Biotech Research Society of India, Young Scientist Award of Society for Chemist and Biologist and Dr J N Baruah Science Award for her significant contributions in are of Plant Sciences.

Abstract

Maintaining Biodiversity in Northern India: Ethno-Medicinal Usage of Zingiberaceae

In recent year the global losses in biodiversity and ongoing development pressures on the environment have reinstated the importance of bio-conservation. Conservation of Zingiberaceae, a family of medicinally important plant species is of paramount importance in nature. Along with the conservation the importance of documenting the medicinal usage in folklore is studied so that these valuable leads could be investigated. The conservation of the plant species is incumbent upon its identification which in turn requires an agreeable classification. Towards this end, documenting the ethno-medicinal usage of plants belonging to this family, construction of a database for dissemination of the knowledge, genome composition and reconstruction of phylogeny using organellar genome has been successfully carried out. Study on ethno-medicinal usage of Zingiberaceae pointed out some very unique application of the species and will act as the starting point for new drug discovery. The phylogeny constructed using plastid sequences has clearly clarified some unresolved relationships. The plastid genome of Zingiber officinale and four other Zingiberaceae members were sequenced for the first time. These genomes will help in better understanding of evolutionary relationship. New markers were also designed using plastid genomes. These markers system could be used for quick classification of members of Zingiberaceae and can also be used for differentiation of Zingiber species. Research has also enabled identification of principal bioactive compounds from valuable unexplored species and their potential uses in diverse biological challenges against infectious and non-infectious diseases. This will promote further research and development towards future therapeutics in herbal medicines. The approach has been to combine the old with the new, because nature is our prototype.