University of British Columbia researchers have identified a gene in balsam fir trees that could facilitate cheaper and more sustainable production of plant-based fixatives and scents used in the fragrance industry and reduce the need for ambergris, a substance harvested from whale barf.
The Genomics Research Entrepreneurship to Accelerate Translation (GREAT) project at the University of British Columbia has been chosen for funding through Genome Canada’s Entrepreneurship Education in Genomics (EEG) pilot program.
The University of British Columbia welcomed the announcement of $32.6 million in funding from Genome Canada and Genome BC for four research projects aimed at making Canada’s forests healthier and more economically productive.
University of British Columbia researchers have received $10.5 million in funding from Genome Canada through the Government of Canada, Genome BC and international partners to enable them to create the first reference genome of the sunflower family – work that will pinpoint agriculturally important genes and could result in a hybrid sunflower that provides both biofuel and food products.
