Stanford researchers at the Sattely Lab have discovered six podophyllotoxin biosynthetic genes and their polypeptide products from the plant, Podophyllum hexandrum (mayapple).
Researchers in Dr. Bingwei Lu's lab have identified genes that could serve as therapeutic targets for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is a common neurodegenerative movement disorder affecting 1% of the population over the age 60.