Project:

DNA barcoding of herbal supplements sold in New York City promotes pharmacovigilance among high school students

Students:

Yandel Morel, Ena Smith

Institution:

Long Island University, Brooklyn

Mentors:

JEANMAIRE MOLINA

Abstract:

The herbal medicine industry is a multibillion-dollar industry in the US alone. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not strictly regulate herbal supplements, which has resulted in fraudulent products that do not contain the declared species. The lack of FDA oversight in herbal products presents the opportunity to crowd-source DNA barcoding as a form of pharmacovigilance among American consumers, including high school students participating in the Urban Barcode Research Program (UBRP). As part of UBRP, an initiative to engage students in scientific research, we aim to validate the taxonomic identity of the plant species contained in herbal medicinal products (HMPs) sold in New York City using DNA barcoding. Sanger sequencing will be used for barcodes obtained from single-species HMPs, while next-generation sequencing using the Ion PGM will be used to sequence barcodes obtained from multi-species HMPs.

Poster:

Team samples: