Miss Vy Nguyen

I am interested in discovering, developing and utilising sustainable crops that benefit humans and the environment. My current research focuses on modifying common vetch using genome editing technology. Common vetch is considered as an "orphan" legume due to its natural occurring anti-nutrition factors in its seeds, despite the seeds containing high protein, minerals and vitamins. Some of the cultivars in this species are highly drought tolerant which could be cultivated in arid areas to provide forage and green manure, improving the soil quality via nitrogen fixation and increasing organic material in the soil. To fully utilise this species, especially the seed fraction, in the past few years, we have assembled and annotated the vetch genome and identified genes that could be targeted for crop improvement. We are currently developing a CRISPR-multiplexing genome editing system to develop vetch with reducing anti-nutrient factors and increased bio-mass. We are continuing to improve the system to facilitate vetch development as a multi-purpose and sustainable crop.