026259 – Leader: Larry Erickson
Start Sept 2005 – End Sept 2009

Our objective is to develop an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to research and development in economic value chains linking agriculture in Ontario to manufacturing through the use of crop-based fibres and plastics. The components of each chain consist of: crop genetics , process engineering, prototype testing, and economic analysis. Each value chain links with a corporate partner positioned to assist with the testing and market analysis of new biomaterials for their industries which include: automotive, decking, siding, landscaping, furniture, films and biomedical devices. The benefits of this work to Ontario agriculture accrue from the added value to components of the soybean crop such as hulls and oil and utilization of waste straw. Ontario manufacturers will benefit from a reliable, local supply of renewable feedstocks for materials which consume less energy to produce, are not petroleum-based, and are amenable to recycling. Crop-based materials have the potential to not only enhance the value of existing products, but also to give rise to entirely new products and industries

026384 – Leader: K. Peter Pauls
Start Sept 2006 – End Aug 2010

Proteins have an enormous range of functional and structural properties that can be exploited for industrial applications. Depending on their composition proteins can be fashioned into threads with steel-like strength, they can be made into elastic materials that can survive repeated stress-strain cycles and they can aggregate to form films that provide barriers to gases, moisture and bacteria. The fibers have medical uses as sutures, they can be spun into materials used for clothing, car seats and body armor or they may be incorporated into plastics to provide strength or add functionalities. Films manufactured from proteins could be used in food packaging, paper coatings and in bandaging materials.

Conventional crops are excellent sources of proteins with a range of structural characteristics. The proposed work will systematically evaluate the suitability of proteins from wheat, soybean and dry bean for producing industrial fibers and films on the basis of structural and functional criteria. Because proteins are coded for by genes it is possible to produce transgenic plants that produce novel proteins, including silk proteins from insects or artificial proteins with unique properties. The proposed work will develop a transgenic plant system to express novel structural proteins and evaluate the utility of the protein(s) for industrial fiber and film manufacturing.

026476 – Leader: Judith Strommer
Start Apr 07 – End Oct 2009

For the past eight years our cross-disciplinary, inter-college team has worked to develop a protein-based edible-vaccine delivery system for veterinary use. Vaccine production is based on year-round greenhouse farming of alfalfa engineered to protect cattle from bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis, a respiratory disease which has greater economic impact on the industry than all other diseases combined. As a readily transformed, vegetatively propagated and fast-growing crop well-suited to production under glass, alfalfa provides an attractive protein production system. The high levels of protein-based bioproduct in our lines are associated with a number of vector modifications which cumulatively have increased product levels more than 80-fold above those seen in alfalfa transformed with traditional vectors. This work has progressed to the stage of large-scale animal trials. We propose to advance this vaccine-bioproduct work in two areas: first, to facilitate approval of a vaccine for commercial use through verifying the specific contributions of individual components of the vaccine formulation; and second, to facilitate approval and potentially extend the usefulness of the vaccine by assessing its cross-recognition of additional bovine pulmonary pathogens. This proposal takes advantage of our depth of experience in forage-based bioproduction to serve the needs of Ontario's cattle industry directly by reducing the high cost associated with bovine respiratory disease and providing an easily administered vaccine. More broadly, success will lead to alternative approaches for protection of ruminants against viral and bacterial pathogens affecting all mucosal systems, including intestinal and reproductive. In elucidating strategies for production of high levels of bioproducts in forages this work will contribute to the development of a mature, broadly based, successful Bioproducts industry in Ontario.

026257 – Leader: Chris Hall
Start Jul 2005 – End Apr 2009

Over the last year, under the auspices of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Network for Innovation in Education and Research (PAPIER), a committee of academics lead by Dr. Robert Pelton (Dept. of Chem. Eng., McMaster University) and industry representatives identified a vision for developing technology platforms leading to commercial scale production of bioactive paper that will detect, capture and deactivate pathogens. The research network entitled "SENTINEL - The Canadian Network for the Development and Use of Bioactive Paper", which grew from this collaboration is developing a proof of concept platform for bioactive cellulosic filters by connecting highly specific recombinant antibodies (rAb) to cellulose. These bioactive filters are envisioned for use in high volume industrial applications such as the purification of neutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, and decontamination of pathogens and organic contaminants in the greenhouse, health science, and water treatment industries.

The participation of OMAF in this multidisciplinary project is expanding upon the knowledge base obtained from prior OMAF investments for development of large-scale rAb production and purification platforms from transgenic tobacco to provide inexpensive rAbs for large volume uses in the environment and food safety. This research will provide benefits to OMAF, its agricultural-based constituents, and the people of Ontario by producing novel agricultural and forestry-based bioproducts such as biofilters for industrial-scale uses around the world. Furthermore, the industrial-scale purification of recombinant antibodies and other recombinant proteins from transgenic plant biofactories will provide a high value commodity that can be employed for other uses beyond biofiltration.

026262 – Leader: Michael Emes/Ian Tetlow
Start Oct 2005 – End Oct 2009

Starch is a cheap, natural, and renewable polymer whose varied physico-chemical properties are exploited in a wide range of non-food uses as well as agri-food sector applications, making it a versatile and highly useful commodity. The structure of starch determines its end uses, and understanding the biological regulatory mechanisms controlling synthesis and breakdown of the polymer is a critical step in producing crops able to yield starches "tailor-made" for different end-user applications. Ontario-based industries which utilize starch for manufacturing are limited by both the types of starch on the market, and by the availability of the desired product within Ontario. The proposed program aims to address both of these deficiencies by; 1) producing desirable starches from existing maize germ plasm, and on a longer-term basis, create novel starches with desirable traits using the knowledge gained from understanding the synthesis of the polymer at a fundamental level; 2) facilitating the production of sufficient quantities of desired crop varieties within Ontario to meet the needs and demands of industry.