NewsRelease

UNCG RESEARCHERS TO PRESENT FINDINGS TO INVESTORS
 
GREENSBORO — Faculty from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will begin educating the Triad business community about the commercial potential of some of their recent research findings when they participate in the Connectivity Expo 2001 on April 4-5 in Winston-Salem.

Taking place 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Benton Convention Center, the event connects established, spin-off and start-up technology companies from the Triad's leading research universities with venture capitalists, business partners and would-be licensees.

The following UNCG researchers will present some of their recent findings in the fields of biotechnology and nutrition:

• Dr. Ron Morrison, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Service Systems, demonstrating research that could lead to a therapy for Type II diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). He is in the process of identifying natural nutrients and synthetic compounds that show promise for preventing the disease.
• Transgreenix, a UNCG spin-off biotechnology company co-founded by Dr. Neal Stewart, associate professor of biology, focusing on using fluorescent protein technologies in plants. Among other things, Transgreenix is developing plants capable of mapping and detecting the presence of buried explosives and landmines.
• Stewart and Harry Richards, a Ph.D. student in nutrition, will present information on an edible vaccine to help prevent food borne illness. They have a patent pending on a modified alfalfa used for cattle feed, which prevents the occurrence of a harmful strain of E.coli bacteria, thus resulting in safer meat products.
• Stewart, Dr. Dennis Lajeuness, assistant professor of biology and Kevin Markam, a graduate student, will present methods of screening ferns for insect resistance genes. These genes can be transferred into crop plants for increased protection against damaging insects. They have also developed a method for rapidly screening for insect resistance.
• Dr. Rosemary Wander, chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Service Systems, has developed protocols in humans to better understand how fatty acids influence the development of atherosclerotic plaque. She will show how her work has improved the understanding of the mechanism of cardio-vascular disease, which could lead to new recommendations on diet and preventive nutritional supplements.

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