Deyang Xu receives new NNF grant
Novo Nordisk Foundation has granted DynaMo partner Deyang Xu 3 mill. for research within Plant Science, Agriculture and Food Biotechnology. The title of the project is: Harnessing genetic diversity of the novel rapeseed food crop via transport engineering
Project description:
Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is the world’s third largest oilseed crop. The press cake that remains after oil pressing contains 30-40% protein with an excellent amino acid composition. The press cake is receiving increased attention as a source of high-quality plant-based protein for human consumption. Today, rapeseed breeding is genetically limited, as it relies on a single genetic source to reduce antinutritional glucosinolates in the seeds. For the rest of the plants, glucosinolates are defense compounds. This project implements an innovative strategy using transport engineering to specifically eliminate the antinutritional, defense compounds in the seeds of rapeseed, while keeping them in the rest of the plants. This will generate new disease-resistance cultivars. Moreover, by freeing rapeseed from its current single genetic background, the approach will greatly expand the gene pool of rapeseed for breeding future resilient, high-yield rapeseed as a promising novel food crop.
The project starts on 1 April 2024 with a duration of 3 years.