AGRO-RESEARCHER – TELAM Agency
Argentine biochemist Raquel Chan, discoverer of the HB-4 gene in sunflower that allowed the development of transgenic drought-tolerant soybean and wheat crops, received the 2023 Konex Platinum Award in the Science and Technology category, for her contributions to the field of biotechnology and its trajectory during the last decade.
The Konex foundation stressed that Chan’s work “has focused on understanding how plants respond to unfavorable environmental conditions, with a special focus on drought.”
Among his most notable achievements is the discovery of the HaHB-4 gene in sunflower, which activates a plant response mechanism to stress due to lack of water. This gene has been shown to be transferable to other plants, such as wheat and soybeans, significantly increasing their tolerance to drought,” which was developed in conjunction with the biotechnology company Bioceres.
“This advance has opened new possibilities in food production in adverse climatic conditions,” they noted in a statement.
In her role as Senior Researcher at Conicet and Full Professor at the National University of the Litoral, Chan led a team of scientists at the Institute of Agrobiotechnology of the Litoral.
Chan completed an extensive education in biochemistry, earning his bachelor’s degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his doctorate from the National University of Rosario, Argentina. She undertook postdoctoral studies in Strasbourg, France.
Source: Ambito
