Amway paired its global research facilities with a leading Chinese university for a tremendous scientific breakthrough announced this month: The Chrysanthemum genome has now been mapped.
It’s a tremendous scientific breakthrough, bringing together the strength and innovation of Amway’s global research team and facilities.
Amway has recently announced the completion of the first-ever genome sequencing of the Chrysanthemum – a genetically complex flowering plant thought to have several benefits in the areas of beauty and nutrition.
“It was a bit of a race because we knew that several groups were trying to solve this sequence and we really wanted to be the first in the world to figure it out,” said Amway Vice President of Research and Development, Catherine Ehrenberger.
The team at the Amway Botanical Research Center (ABRC) in Wuxi, China, just announced the breakthrough, with help from a leading Chinese Institute and nanopore technology – one of the most advanced technologies available.
So, what does it all mean for ABOs and their customers around the world?
“Being the first to have the sequencing of the genome of Chrysanthemum is important for us from a business point of view, but it’s also really important for the scientific credibility story of Amway,” said Ehrenberger.
The hope is that what’s learned from sequencing the Chrysanthemum genome—possibly the most complicated genome in the plant kingdom – will lead to many new Amway health and wellness products featuring key ingredients from the plant.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), potential benefits are believed to range from bone health to improved blood circulation.
“The more we can learn from the genome the better we can cultivate the plant, choose which species to study, under what condition to grow it, and so forth,” said Jia Chen, Vice President of the Amway Botanical Research Center. “Once we have this knowledge it can really help us in the future a great deal.
So why Chrysanthemum?
When deciding which TCM plant to study, Amway scientists looked at a combination of things. With “East-Meets-West” being one of the main ideas of the ABRC, scientists brought Eastern philosophies of traditional Chinese medicine together with Western analytics.
“The analytics drove us to Chrysanthemum,” said Chen. “There was bioactivity there that aligned with products we wanted to develop, so that’s how we decided on this particular plant.”
Established in 2015, the discovery is one of several milestones for the fledgling ABRC — a global research center dedicated to discovering the benefits of TCM plants for use in Nutrilite™ and Artistry™ products.
For more information regarding research results and genomic data, visit www.amwayabrc.com
The team at the Amway Botanical Research Center (ABRC) in Wuxi, China, just announced the breakthrough with help from a leading Chinese Institute and nanopore technology – one of the most advanced technologies available
