Boyce Thompson Institute For Plant Research Inc

THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE FOR PLANT RESEARCH, INC. (BTI) STRIVES TO BE A WORLD LEADER IN PLANT SCIENCE RESEARCH. BTI WAS FOUNDED BY WILLIAM BOYCE THOMPSON OUT OF A CONVICTION THAT "ANY PRINCIPLES CONCERNING THE NATURE OF LIFE THAT YOU CAN ESTABLISH FOR PLANTS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND MAN, IN HEALTH AND DISEASE." HE ALSO SAW PLANT SCIENCE AS A MEANS OF ENDING HUNGER, THUS ULTIMATELY PROMOTING DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL STABILITY. BTI ENVISIONS A WORLD IN WHICH NUTRITIOUS FOOD IS IN ABUNDANCE, THE ENVIRONMENT IS SECURE, AND PEOPLE LIVE FULLER, HEALTHIER LIVES. THIS VISION CAN BE REALIZED IN PART THROUGH THE STUDY OF PLANTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, CONCENTRATING PARTICULARLY ON PLANT DEVELOPMENT, MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PLANTS AND MICROBES, AND MOLECULAR AND CHEMICAL ECOLOGY.

IMPROVE AGRICULTURE/SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION: BTI SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS PRODUCING AN INCREASINGLY SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. FOOD SECURITY ANALYSIS BY THE UNITED NATIONS HAS CITED CLIMATE CHANGE, NATURAL DISASTER, RAPID URBANIZATION AND UNPRECENDENTED POPULATION GROWTH AS GREAT CHALLENGES TO THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE OF THE WORLD FOOD SUPPLY. AT BTI, SCIENTISTS ARE INVESTIGATING, AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL, HOW PLANTS GROW, RESPOND TO LIGHT, AND MAKE USE ON A SCALE THAT CAN MEET DEMAND. CURRENT RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE NUTRITIVE QUALITY OF FOOD, INCREASING YIELD AND FURTHERING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRONOMICALLY VIABLE PLANT SPECIES. SPECIFIC RESEARCH FOCUSES ON LONGER SHELFLIFE, CROPS THAT PRODUCE HIGHER YIELD WITH LESS INPUTS, REDUCED NEED FOR CHEMICAL FERTILIZATION, AND PLANTS WITH HIGHER TOLERANCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS SUCH AS DROUGH, SALINITY, HEAT AND COLD.

OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES

RESEARCH TOOLS & COMMUNICATIONS: BTI SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. VIRTUALLY EVERY DAY, SCIENTISTS DISCOVER AND RECORD A STAGGERING AMOUNT OF NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE GENES, PROTEINS AND CHEMICALS THAT DIRECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF CELLS. BTI RESEARCHERS ALSO ARE CONTINUALLY DEVELOPING NEW TECHNIQUES FOR LABORATORY RESEARCH. BTI SCIENTISTS ARE DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE AND DATABASES, ENABLING RESEARCHERS TO BETTER ORGANIZE, ACCESS AND RETRIEVE A WEALTH OF DATA, ISOLATE AND IDENTIFY SPECIFIC GENES CONTROLLING THE SPECIFIC LIFE PROCESSES AND IDENTIFY MOLECULES WITH POTENTIAL EVOLUTIONARY, BIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL IMPORTANCES. BTI SCIENTISTS ALSO DEVELOP NEW RESEARCH PROTOCOLS FOR TRANSFORMING PLANTS WITH GENES OF INTEREST TO DISCOVER THEIR FUNCTIONS.

IMPROVED HUMAN HEALTH: INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT SCIENCE AND RELATED RESEARCH TOWARDS IMPROVED HUMAN HEALTH. CURRENT RESEARCH AT BTI MAY LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND AGING-RELATED DISEASES. BTI RESEARCHERS DEVELOP CELL LINES IN PLANTS AND INSECTS THAT CAN BE USED TO MANUFACTURE THERAPEUTICS, DIAGNOSTICS, AND VACCINES. INSTITUTE RESEARCH ALSO MAY LEAD TO MORE NUTRITIOUS FOODS TO COMBAT VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES AND LESS PESTICIDE USE TO REDUCE HUMAN EXPOSURE TO HARMFUL CHEMICALS. BTI SCIENTISTS ALSO STUDY HOW PLANTS PRODUCE PHARMACEUTICALLY ACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND MAY LEAD TO NEW SOURCES OF NATURAL WAYS TO COMBAT CONDITIONS LIKE HEART DISEASE.