This proposal seeks to test whether secondary metabolite production can be increased through: - the development of an understanding of the effects of immobilization on biochemical and structural differentiation in plant cells, and - the study of reactor design and operation for the growth and the effective use of organ tissues for the production of secondary metabolites. Results from the current project suggest that immobilization can result in a significant increase in biochemical and structural differentiation. The PIs plan to test the role that mass transfer gradients, cell matrix interactions, and cellular association play in such responses.
