Dr Agnelo Furtado BSc(Bombay) MSc(Bombay) PhD(UQ) My work at the Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics (CPCG) has a strong research focus which essentially is to work with our collaborator to assess various genes and promoters in transgenic cereals. I have worked extensively to determine if the specificity of promoters can be transferred across cereals. I am keenly interested in controlling transgene expression in cereals with a view to define the specificity of available promoters across cereals. I am also responsible for managing the transformation of wheat at the Centre and service any internal and external research collaborators. Most of my time is assigned to duties relating to the Grains Food CRC in my capacity as Genomics Research Coordinator to deal with project management and research duties of GFCRC projects. I also manage 'Southern Cross Plant Improvement' (SCPI) which is one of the business units of the Centre. SCPI provides services such as general tissue culture of plants, cereal transformation, and tissue culture facilities involving tissue culture laboratories, growth rooms, growth cabinets, quarantine glasshouses and field research facilities. SCPI also provide services to screen GM plant material to detect transgenic DNA. I also carry out the necessary tasks in relation to GM projects and the OGTR in my capacity as the Chair of the Southern Cross University Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). Dr Furtado obtained his Bachelors and Masters degree in Biochemistry from the University of Mumbai, India, followed by a PhD degree from the University of Queensland, Australia. He has also completed the 'Graduate Certificate in Research Management', from Southern Cross University, Australia.
Journal articles
Gene expression in the developing aleurone and starchy endosperm of wheat (with Susan Gillies and Robert J. Henry), Plant Biotechnology Journal (2012)
Wheat is a critical food source globally. Food security is an increasing concern; current production...
Analysis of promoters in transgenic barley and wheat (with Robert J. Henry and Alessandro Pellegrineschi), Plant Biotechnology Journal (2009)
Advances in the genetic transformation of cereals have improved the prospects of using biotechnology for...
Comparison of promoters in transgenic rice (with Robert J. Henry and Fumio Takaiwa), Plant Biotechnology Journal (2008)
Reports of the use of rice storage protein gene promoters to express transgenes in rice...
DNA Banks and their role in facilitating the application of genomics to plant germplasm (with Nicole F. Rice, Giovanni M. Cordeiro, Mervyn J. Shepherd, Peter C. Bundock, Louis MT Bradbury, Loraine Watson, Allison C. Crawford, Toni Pacey-Miller, and Robert J. Henry), Plant Genetic Resources (2006)
Advances in genomics have provided technologies for high throughput analysis of plant genomes with potential...
The wheat Em promoter drives reporter gene expression in embryo and aleurone tissue of transgenic barley and rice (with Robert J. Henry), Plant Biotechnology Journal (2005)
The early methionine (Em) proteins are members of the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) group of...
Conference publications
Genomics and metabolomics for new plant products (with Daniel LE Waters, Peter C. Bundock, Hans Wohlmuth, Myrna A. Deseo, Lei Liu, and Frances M. Shapter), From passion to profit: New Rural Industries Australia Conference (2010)
Breeding for biofuel traits (with Robert J. Henry and Nicole F. Rice), 14th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference (APBC) held in conjunction with the 11th Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO) Congress (2009)
Genomics for cereal grain quality improvement (with Robert J. Henry), Australasian Plant Breeding Conference (APBC) held in conjunction with the 11th Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO) Congress (2009)
Utility of promoter sequence variation in plant breeding (with Robert J. Henry), American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) International Annual Meeting (2009)
DNA-based markers such as SNP and SSR, rely on the variations in DNA sequence, which...
Analysis of heterologous promoters in transgenic cereals (with Robert J. Henry, Alessandro Pellegrineschi, and Fumio Takaiwa), 58th Australian Cereal Chemistry Conference (2008)
The genomes of cereals are one of the many that humans have remodelled through careful...
Patents
Use of bifunctional alpha-amylase subtilisin inhibitor promoter sequence of barley to confer expression in seeds (with Robert J. Henry and Kenneth John Scott), Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics Papers (1999)
The present invention provides a novel promoter that is functional in the seeds of plants,...