Members of the PMN welcomed collaborators from the University of Calgary (David Liscombe, Jeorg Ziegler, Peter Facchini), the Canadian National Research Council - Plant Biotechnology Institute (Dustin Cram, Jonathan Page (via WebX)), and Cornell University (Anuradha Pujar) to an organizational meeting and curatorial jamboree. The Carnegie Canada cross-border cooperative effort will seek to improve our understanding of the metabolism of two plants with great pharmcalogical value: Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) and Cannabis sativa (marijuana, hemp). The meeting generated a roadmap of immediate and long-term goals for the BIACyc (Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid Cyc) and CannaCyc (Cannabaceae Cyc) projects and included a pathway update party where experts in the field of alkaloid metabolism helped curators to improve existing pathways and suggested new pathways for inclusion in PlantCyc and MetaCyc.
