NTU Singapore scientists genetically engineer plants to yield more vegetable oil

NTU Singapore scientists genetically engineer plants to yield more vegetable oil

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), led by Associate Professor Gao Yonggui and Assistant Professor Ma Wei, have successfully bioengineered and improved a plant protein that is responsible for oil accumulation in plant seeds and edible nuts. Using their patent-pending method, plants which have the modified protein can accumulate up to 15 – 18% more oil in their seeds.

read more
Amazon’s growth limited by lack of phosphorus

Amazon’s growth limited by lack of phosphorus

Growth of the Amazon rainforest in our increasingly carbon-rich atmosphere could be limited by a lack of phosphorus in the soil, new research shows. The study, published in the journal Nature, was carried out by an international team led by Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), the University of Exeter, and Nanyang Technological University.

read more
NTU Singapore scientists design compound that targets enzyme linked to autoimmune disorders and severe COVID-19

NTU Singapore scientists design compound that targets enzyme linked to autoimmune disorders and severe COVID-19

When the body detects a pathogen, such as bacteria or viruses, it mounts an immune system response to fight this invader. In some people, the immune system overreacts, resulting in an overactive immune response that causes the body to injure itself, which may prove fatal in some cases.

Now, scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created a compound that could help to reduce this overactivation without impairing the body’s entire immune response.

read more
Say No to Transplant Rejection

Say No to Transplant Rejection

During organ transplantation, the donor organ is almost always recognised as foreign by the recipient’s immune system. When organ rejection is cell-mediated, it can be treated with steroids. Alloantibody-mediated organ rejection, however, often leads to transplantation failure.

read more