Grants

The Fusarium oxysporum fungus causes wilt in over 100 plant species including tomato, cotton, watermelon and banana, costing farmers billions of dollars in losses worldwide each year. The disease is difficult to control. Once the soil is infected, the fungus can remain viable for 30 or 40 years, and at present "there really is no way to control it," Ma says. By advancing understanding of the molecular mechanism of fungal pathogenesis, she hopes to increase ways to develop disease-resistant crops.

A four-year investment from RCUK's Global Challenges Research Fund is set to stimulate the bioeconomy by increasing knowledge of Colombia's greatest treasure: its biodiversity

Administrative scientist Professor Wolfgang Seibel from the University of Konstanz awarded a Reinhart Koselleck Project to carry out pioneering research into serious organizational failure.

Researchers at LSTM have been awarded £6.4 million from the Global Challenges Research Fund to strengthen the global capacity to control vector-borne diseases. Professor Hilary Ranson, Head of LSTM's Department of Vector Biology, will lead a team of experts working with leading research institutes and national disease control programs in three African countries with exceptionally high burdens of disease, to develop evidence based solutions for integrated vector control.

A team of Wayne State University researchers recently received a $1.9 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to better understand leukodystrophies (LD) and genetic Leukoencephalopathies (gLE), rare genetic disorders affecting the white matter -- myelin -- in the central nervous system. Patients diagnosed with a leukodystrophy experience a gradual decline in development, including a progressive loss in gait, body tone, vision, hearing, swallowing and/or ability to eat.

The USDepartment of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 34 grants totaling $15.1 million for research on agricultural systems and production of biomaterials and fuels, socioeconomic implications and public policy challenges of bioenergy and bioproducts market development and expansion, understanding nutrient cycling in agricultural systems, and the management of agricultural ecosystems. The grants are funded through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 13 grants totaling $4.6 million for research on the next generation of agricultural technologies and systems to meet the growing demand for food, fuel, and fiber. The grants are funded through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

Researchers use gene editing to control disease-causing mosquitoes, thanks to a multimillion-dollar DARPA contract.