No dia 19 de novembro de 2015, das 14h30 às 15h30, na sala 0.2, terá lugar um seminário subordinado ao tema "Actinobacterial endophytes to improve wheat and legume crop production" pelo Professor Christopher Franco da universidade australiana de Flinders. A entrada é gratuita e todos são bem vindos.

Prof Chris Franco's expertise in biotechnology research combines both the industrial and academic spheres. He has worked in the UK, Germany, India, Indonesia, Singapore, China and Australia. For 10 years he led a drug discovery & development team in an International biopharmaceutical company and has 11 patents for therapeutic compounds. He is an expert on actinobacteria, for pharmaceuticals and agriculture. He pioneered the isolation of endophytic actinobacteria and their application in agriculture and environmental sustainability: to control diseases of cereal crops; to improve nutrient uptake in cereals and legume crops; to identify novel genera and species; and to discover novel bioactive molecules. In recognition of these achievements he was awarded the Australian Eureka Prize for Environmental Sustainability of Grain Growing. He has also researched and published on enhancement of metabolite production in plant cell culture and on bioprocessing of seafood co-products for functional proteins. As Head of Medical Biotechnology, he manages the Biotechnology academic and research programs. He has improved microalgae for biofuels and carotenoid production. In his role as Associate Head (International), Faculty of Health Sciences, he plays a key leadership role in promoting international cooperation with other universities.