Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement on the ginseng genome research in Changchun on November 11, 2010.

The agreement was reached with the Tonghua municipal government of Jilin Province, Changchun Branch of CAS, and Zixin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. BIG will play an important role in the genome sequencing and analysis of the ginseng species. Whole-genome sequencing is already underway in the institute.

“We will reveal the genetic codes of ginseng and explore the association between its components, and further carry out functional genomic analysis of its regulation mechanism for the breeding of new cultivars of better quality, in cooperation with other institutions”, said Prof. YU Jun, vice director of BIG, as representative of the institute signing this agreement.

Dubbed “King of Herbs” in China, Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine and health care product for more than 4,000 years. Jilin Province accounts for 70% of the world’s ginseng production.