Plant Sciences Institute grant awarded to Thornburg

Six new research projects at Iowa State University are tackling scientific challenges facing Iowa agriculture. The innovative projects recently received start-up funding from Iowa State's Plant Sciences Institute.

One of the projects receiving funding is coordinated by Robert Thornburg, professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology.

The grants were awarded to faculty researchers in eight university departments through a competitive program designed to stimulate excellence in plant science research. Grant amounts range between $30,000 and $60,000 for two years.

The projects selected relate to the institute's research initiatives in biopharmaceuticals, biorenewables, crop protection, genomics and nutrition. These initiatives target specific issues -such as protecting against emerging crop diseases or creating new products from plants - faced by the state's crop-based agriculture and plant bioscience industry, Plant Sciences Institute Director Stephen Howell said.

"These research projects bring additional firepower to our research initiatives," Howell said. "They are excellent projects that promise to advance the scientific foundation for future developments in crop technology."

Thornburg will look at ways plants maintain seeds and fruit on the stem and will identify and characterize genes expressed during the natural process of shedding. The Department of Biophysics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is contributing to the funding of this project.

Many plant scientists aspire to produce in valued-added products in plants, such as biopharmaceuticals. Most examples of biopharmaceutical production in plants involve the expression of novel proteins or therapeutic compounds in seeds or fruit. For these organs to produce sufficient amounts of biopharmaceuticals, they have to remain attached to the plant.