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N.C. Research Campus Operation Wins Gates Grant |
by Jennifer Thomas
Excerpt from a story published by the Charlotte Business Journal on November 8, 2011.
(Link to original story)
N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute in Kannapolis has been awarded $100,000 from Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Mary Ann Lila, director of the institute, will conduct a global-health research project focused on improving nutrition through functional-food ingredients, which can be incorporated into products.
The plant institute is part of the N.C. Research Campus, a 350-acre life-sciences hub focused on health, nutrition and agriculture.
Lila’s project is one of 110 Grand Challenges Explorations grants announced Tuesday. Projects that receive funding show promise in tackling high-priority global health issues where solutions do not yet exist.
“We believe in the power of innovation — that a single bold idea can pioneer solutions to our greatest health and development challenges,” says Chris Wilson, director of global health discovery for Gates Foundation.
Lila will utilize technology that extracts plant compounds called phytochemicals from a range of fruits and vegetables. That process was developed in partnership with Rutgers University.
