Allergies and food intolerances to peanuts and wheat are extremely common these days. And while those with these diagnoses often carry an EpiPen and try to avoid eating these foods at all costs, that may not be the case in the future. Plant breeders are working on ways to try and make these foods accessible to all, no matter an allergy or food intolerance.
On the Feb. 15 episode of Seed Speaks, we’re taking a closer look at how breeders are considering allergies and food intolerances when it comes to plant breeding. We’re joined by Olof Olsson, a senior advisor with ScanOats Industrial Research Center, and Sachin Rustgi, an associate professor of molecular breeding at Clemson University.
Olsson is a professor in molecular biology and has been a leader of research groups at Umeå, Gothenburg and Lund Universities over the past 35 years. He’s the founder of four biotech companies — CropTailor AB, SweBol Biotech AB, OlsAro AB and Växtmoloo AB. Olsson’s research and publications cover areas including microbiology, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer, plant physiology, genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics.
Along with Rustgi’s affiliation with Clemson University, he’s an adjunct associate professor at Washington State University, Pullman. His research primarily focuses on developing dietary therapies for individuals with celiac disease or allergies to wheat, or peanut, and novel strategies to mitigate the major insect pests or fungal pathogens of the primary South Carolina crops.
Join us on Feb. 15 at 12 p.m. CST on Seed World’s Facebook,YouTube and LinkedIn pages to watch the discussion.
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