Karen Michiko Frick

Karen Michiko Frick serves as a Guest Researcher in the Section for Plant Biochemistry within the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on plant specialized metabolism with particular emphasis on alkaloid biosynthesis in lupin species.

Her primary research interests include plant biochemistry, alkaloid biosynthesis pathways, molecular plant biology, and crop genomics. Frick investigates tissue-specific metabolic processes, particularly quinolizidine alkaloid production in narrow-leafed lupin epidermis, and explores plant defense mechanisms against herbivores through jasmonate signaling pathways. Her work bridges fundamental plant metabolism with agricultural applications for crop improvement.

Analysis of her publication record (2019-2025) reveals consistent focus on lupin as a model system for studying specialized metabolism. Her research integrates genomics, transcriptomics, and biochemical approaches to elucidate metabolic pathways while developing molecular tools like virus-induced gene silencing for functional validation. Key thematic trends include spatial organization of metabolism, evolutionary aspects of alkaloid pathways, and translating basic research into crop improvement strategies.

Frick actively collaborates with international research groups as evidenced by multi-institutional publications. Her work appears in high-impact plant science journals including New Phytologist, Plant Journal, and Natural Product Reports, with several papers receiving significant citations and patent references.