Australia is home to an astonishing diversity of plants, some used by the Aboriginal communities for their multiple benefit. Our investigates mountain pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) as a potent source of anti-inflamatory and anti-oxidant molecules. We work with Peppermint Ridge Farm as our local partner to investigate the molecular and genetic basis of the biochemical profile of the berries and leaves. We are currently undertaking the sequencing of the genome with the support of the Genomics for Australian Plant initiative.

There are many more native fruits that are under-utilised and rife with potential to increase the sustanability and resilience of Australian agriculture. Our focus is to develop the tools that would bypass the long and consuming process of biochemical characterisation to identify sources of active molecules. Instead we propose to focus on genomics and more precisely transcriptomics to accelerate the bioprospection of natural diversity and the discovery of novel bioproduct.