Projects include medical cannabis standardisation, vertical farming light technology and genetic optimisation of lettuce.
Pioneering medicinal cannabis research is set to take place in Dundee after the James Hutton Institute secured £350k funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
An additional £867k in funding was secured for two more projects: light pulsing technologies in vertical farming (£305k) and developing genetic tools to accelerate indoor lettuce breeding (£562k). With £1.22m from industry partners, the total value of these projects reaches £2.4m.
All three projects will be conducted at the Institute’s newly established Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) at the Invergowrie site. The APGC, part of the Tay Cities Regional Deal, is supported by £45m from the UK Government and £17m from the Scottish Government. The facility includes five interconnected core units aimed at fostering scientific innovation, according to a press release.
These multi-year initiatives are focused on transforming horticultural practices, advancing breeding techniques, and promoting sustainability, pharmaceutical applications, and genetic research.
“Both CE-CannPharm and LightPuls-VF are exciting projects for the James Hutton Institute team to be involved with,” said Derek Stewart, Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre. He hopes that these projects will keep the Institute at the forefront of scientific research in the UK, furthering its already renowned reputation.
“Medicinal cannabis is an increasingly important remedy and is becoming key in alleviating degenerative and neurodegenerative/dysfunctional diseases. We will play an important role in furthering pharmaceutical quality of these plants, reinforcing the UK’s importance on the world stage.
“Research at the APGC will also see our team prove vital in the future food security and sustainability of this nation through our vertical farming project. We hope the success of these projects will be felt for many years to come. We also thank our partners Glass Pharms Ltd and Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltds. for their support.”
Find out more about the projects by visiting the APGC site here.
