Chandra Franklin |
Chandra Franklin
Professor
of Biology
Savannah
State University
Expertise:
Plant Biotechnology and Plant Biology
Issues of Interest:
Heavy metal contamination in the salt marsh ecosystem.
Current Projects:
Research Interests:
- To study the role of Spartina alterniflora in salt marsh processes dealing with heavy metal contamination using biotechnology/molecular tools.
- Technology development - in vitro methods and gene transfer/regeneration of transgenic S. alterniflora.
Research Objectives:
- To use axenic (microbe-free) lines of S. alterniflora to the study Spartina-microbe interactions in the transformation and release of mercury contaminants in the salt marsh ecosystem.
- To develop a Spartina-based biosensor for heavy metal contaminants using genetically engineered S. alterniflora.
Current Projects:
- To adapt axenic lines of S. alterniflora (recently developed in this lab) for studies to understand Spartina-microbe interactions that control transformation and release of mercury contaminants in salt marshes.
- To develop a transgenic system for S. alterniflora.
Sub-projects:
(1)
To develop a gene transfer system,
(2) To develop an in vitro regeneration
system, and
(3) To integrate gene transfer and regeneration
systems to produce transgenic S. alterniflora.
Location:
Savannah, Georgia
Project Links:
Loss
of Salt Marshes in Georgia: Potential Causes and Remedies
Chandra Franklin (Savannah State Univ., Savannah,
GA, USA) and Jan MacKinnon (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal
Resources Division, Brunswick, GA, USA)
Committee on standardized marsh monitoring protocols
Marine
Biotechnology: Development of In Vitro Methods and Genetic Engineering Technology
for Spartina alterniflora to Assess the Ecological Impact of Heavy
Metal Contamination in Salt Marsh Ecosystems
Chandra
Franklin (Savannah State Univ., Savannah, GA, USA)
Homepage:
http://www.savstate.edu/scitech/scmath/html/faculty.htm