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Stimulus Material for depth studies, courtesy of Macquarie University
BASF license rights to Macquarie University technology
A technology 10 years in the making is now set to help tens of millions of people, with the world’s largest chemical
company licensing the rights to a Macquarie University discovery.
The Department of Biological Sciences’ Brian Atwell has worked with former Macquarie PhD student and post-doc
Andrew Scafaro to isolate a gene from a wild Australian rice that renders plants tolerant to very hot days beyond
the mid-30s. This is about three degrees hotter than the optimum for commercial cereal crops.
With conservative estimates predicting an average increase in the Earth’s temperature of at least two degrees
over the next century, major grain shortages are expected. This innovation will help the world sustain wheat yields
through heatwaves and general global warming.
The technology was developed in a team involving international collaborations and supported by colleagues at
Bayer CropScience in Belgium. The recent transfer of agreements to the German company BASF—the largest
chemical producer in the world—has culminated in a mutual licence agreement with Macquarie University to bring
a heat resistant wheat crop to market.
With BASF having licensed the rights for wheat, Brian and Andrew are working to license the technology in other
crops and grains, expanding its potential to secure a staple food source for many millions of people.
Find out more
Syllabus link: Biology Module 6: Genetic change
Eartha and Environmental Science Module 7: Climate change
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 1