Engineering Plants for Enhanced Nutrition: A Role for Nutritional Genomics

Dean DellaPenna, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University, is world-renowned for his work on understanding and manipulating the synthesis of antioxidants (vitamin E and beta-carotene) in plants to improve human health. He has become a vocal proponent for engineering the nutritional content of agricultural crops to provide a more balanced and healthful diet in both developed and developing countries.

Dr. DellaPenna earned a B.S. in Cellular Biology at Ohio University in 1984 and a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology at the University of California at Davis in 1987 and was a faculty member in the Plant Sciences Department at the University of Arizona.