Purdue News

December 4, 2002 Purdue, Monsanto team up for seminar series WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University and Monsanto are teaming up to co-sponsor a seminar series in which scientists from Purdue and Monsanto will travel to each others' respective institutions to give presentations. Jon McIntyre, chief scientist in Monsanto's protein technologies division, will be at Purdue Dec. 17 to present a lecture entitled "Therapeutic Protein Production in Transgenic Corn Seed." The lecture addresses genetically modifying corn to produce pharmaceuticals to fight against cancer, heart disease and other diseases. Marshall Martin, associate director of agriculture research programs, said the Purdue-Monsanto Seminar Series is an opportunity for scientific exchange between Purdue and Monsanto. The lectures are free and open to the public. Martin said researchers in agriculture, pharmacy, biochemistry, molecular biology and chemical engineering should have an interest in McIntyre's presentation. "The prospect of using corn as a plant to grow pharmaceuticals is controversial," Martin said. "There are concerns about pollen from genetically modified corn cross-fertilizing with conventional corn in adjacent fields, as well as effective identity preservation of the crop in the grain handling industry. McIntyre will talk about what researchers are doing to ensure that won't happen." This public seminar will be from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in the Food Science Building's Morgan Board Room on Purdue's West Lafayette campus. Those interested in attending can contact Sherry Oland in the Office of Agriculture Research Programs at (765) 494-8370 or oland@purdue.edu. Writer: Kay Hostetler, (765) 494-6682, kjh@purdue.edu Source: Marshall Martin, (765) 494-8365, marshallmartin@purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu; https://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/AgComm/public/agnews/ To the Purdue News and Photos Page