On the morning of July 2, the press conference for the "Thousand Species Herbal Genome Project" and the establishment ceremony of the research alliance was held at the university museum of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Zhang Boli, Honorary President of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Director of the Department of Medicine and Health, He Yanzheng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, and Yu Shuguang, President of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Zhao Junning, Deputy Director of the National Medical Products Administration, sent a congratulatory letter to the conference. Leaders and experts from more than 60 units across the country attended the press conference, with online participation reaching 9,000 people. The meeting was hosted by Peng Cheng, Vice President of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Significance of the Project
Herbal genomics addresses a series of challenges faced in the research of traditional Chinese medicine by interpreting the biological mechanisms of traditional drugs. It proposes to solve these challenges through the study and development of gene functions based on the acquisition of genomic and gene transmission information. This includes establishing a medicinal model biological system for the biosynthesis and regulation of secondary metabolites, producing important natural medicines or new drug raw materials through synthetic biology, utilizing genomic assistance to cultivate excellent varieties of Chinese herbal medicines, developing molecular markers for identifying mixed products of herbal medicines, revealing the biological essence of the authenticity of medicinal materials, establishing a herbal database to protect precious medicinal plant genetic resources, and studying the impact of human genomic genetic polymorphism and the diversity of gut microbiota on the metabolism and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine.
1. Herbal genomics will conduct the analysis of the genetic codes of various medicinal plants, laying the foundation for the conservation of endangered herbs and the continuation of species diversity#
In recent years, with the rapid development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry, the demand for Chinese herbal resources has sharply increased both domestically and internationally. The unreasonable harvesting of wild resources has become common, accelerating the disappearance of genetic diversity in medicinal plants, and the risk of resource extinction is growing. At the same time, most cultivated medicinal plants are propagated through asexual reproduction, and the degradation of germplasm resources associated with long-term asexual reproduction has severely impacted the quality and adaptability of traditional Chinese medicine.
By conducting herbal genomic research and combining studies on the content of important secondary metabolites, disease resistance, and stress resistance traits, the genetic mechanisms underlying these excellent traits can be elucidated, providing a foundation for the breeding of "high-quality, high-form" new varieties. Additionally, by collecting extensive germplasm resources and studying the genetic diversity of medicinal plants, a conservation system for endangered medicinal plants in situ and ex situ can be established, providing scientific strategies for the conservation of endangered herbs and species diversity.
2. Establishing a medicinal model plant library through the synthesis and regulation research of effective components of medicinal plants#
Model organisms play an important role in today's life sciences and medical research, and the lack of a mature model organism research system is a significant reason why medicinal biological research lags behind other biological fields. Establishing medicinal model plants can greatly promote the development of growth, physiology, biochemistry, disease resistance, and molecular traits of medicinal plants. Under the impetus of herbal genomic research, a number of medicinal model biological research systems, such as Ganoderma lucidum, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and Catharanthus roseus, are being established. Concentrating research efforts on a few medicinal model organisms to clarify the general laws of secondary metabolite synthesis and promoting and verifying them in other medicinal organisms can effectively enhance the level of basic research on medicinal biology. The establishment of a mutant library of model medicinal plants and the study of gene functions, along with the determination of the whole genome sequences of model medicinal plants and the establishment of large-scale mutant libraries, will provide abundant resources and materials for medicinal plant research and greatly promote the discovery of functional genes in medicinal plants, especially those related to secondary metabolism.
The herbal genome project will promote the application of "omics" methods such as transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics in the study of secondary metabolic pathways and regulation in medicinal plants, laying the foundation for the "bulk" discovery of secondary metabolism-related genes. Research results will have a direct impact on the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and metabolic engineering, as well as the breeding of high-efficacy component germplasm resources.
3. Decoding the genetic information of traditional Chinese medicine, revealing the mechanisms of action and the formation mechanisms of its authenticity#
In recent years, scholars have delved deeper into the study of the authenticity of traditional Chinese medicine, and molecular and genomic research has gradually become a hotspot. The differences in genetic diversity among different source plants and germplasm resources of medicinal materials, as well as the differential accumulation of components based on varying environmental and climatic conditions, significantly influence the formation and changes of the authenticity of traditional Chinese medicine.
By utilizing genomic or transcriptomic sequence information, a vast number of molecular markers such as simple sequence repeats (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) can be developed. By identifying specific genes or DNA sequences of different source plants and differentiated germplasm resources, these specific genes or DNA sequences can be used as markers for their identification. Professor Chen Shilin of the herbal genomic research team has established an internationally recognized DNA barcode identification method system for traditional Chinese herbal medicine based on ITS2, completing the monograph "DNA Barcode Standard Sequences of Medicinal Materials in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia," addressing the issue of authenticity identification of traditional Chinese herbal medicines at the genetic level.
The sequence information database generated from herbal genomic research provides rich genetic resources for developing molecular markers for medicinal materials and effectively supports the revelation of the material basis of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine and the possible mechanisms of authenticity formation.
4. The implementation of herbal genomics is an essential path for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine#
Over the past four to five decades, many research achievements in traditional Chinese medicine have benefited from studying its toxicology and pharmacology through chemical methods. Among these, a landmark achievement is the isolation and purification of artemisinin with good anti-malarial activity from sweet wormwood by the team of researcher Tu Youyou at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
At this stage, the "Herbal Genome Project" opens another window for the research of traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The research results of this project will lay the foundation for elucidating the synthesis and regulation of effective components of medicinal plants, thereby promoting the screening and biosynthesis research of plant-based drugs. Additionally, this project will accelerate the breeding of excellent varieties of medicinal plants and promote the scientific and large-scale development of green traditional Chinese medicine agriculture. With the gradual maturation of sequencing technology and the emergence of new sequencing technologies, it is believed that more medicinal plant species will be included in the herbal genome project.
In summary, the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine urgently requires the introduction of the most advanced technologies and methods, among which herbal genomics should be an important one. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "We must firmly grasp the lifeline of technology in our own hands." We should seize the opportunity, take active action, and earnestly promote the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. The successful establishment of the "Thousand Species Herbal Genome Project" and the research alliance will enhance the strength of basic research in traditional Chinese medicine, improve the independent innovation capability of traditional Chinese medicine research in our country, promote the protection and utilization of Chinese herbal genetic resources, and have significant strategic scientific significance for accelerating the modernization process of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, advancing herbal biological research from the level of molecular physicochemical research to a higher genomic era!