Researchers studying plants that promote the health and wellness of Canadians have received $5 million in federal funding.
The three-year investment announced April 18 is part of a $118 million fund announced for National Research Council initiatives supporting innovation from hydrogen and fuel cells in Vancouver to nanotechnology in Edmonton.
The Guided by Our Science and Technology Strategy was unveiled in May 2007 and reaffirmed in the 2008 federal budget.
The health and wellness research cluster in Saskatoon will use the funds to continue its research into plants like the prairie carnation, a type of common cow cockle believed to have cancer-fighting properties.
It is also used for cosmetics and neutraceuticals and is already found in Chinese herbal medicine markets.
Saskatoon is home to 30 percent of Canada’s agricultural biotechnology research and development, with more than 60 companies engaged in the area.
The research council’s Plants for Health and Wellness cluster is a private-public partnership that seeks to move its research from the laboratory to the marketplace.
