Zixin Pharma, CAS complete ginseng genome project
Shanghai. March 4. INTERFAX-CHINA - Beijing Institute of Genomics, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Jilin Zixin Pharmaceutical Industrial Co. Ltd. have completed a project to map a complete ginseng genome sequence, the company announced March 4.
The genome sequence will help Zixin Pharma's ginseng breeding program, which aims to develop strains of the herb suitable for large-scale cultivation. The discovery will also help the company improve quality control for its ginseng processing operations and develop ginseng-based drugs, the announcement said.
The project was supported by the government of Tonghua City in northeast China's Jilin Province. Jilin government issued a raft of policies in July last year designed to revitalize the province's ginseng industry, including measures intended to standardize cultivation. Jilin accounts for approximately 80 percent of China's total ginseng output, and Tonghua alone accounts for more than 24 percent, Interfax previously reported.
Tonghua-based traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) maker Zixin Pharma is vying to become a leading domestic manufacturer of ginseng products. The company has invested an aggregate RMB 1 billion ($152.2 million) in four plantation and processing facilities currently under construction in Jilin.
- MS