Elison Blancaflor, Ph.D., a scientist at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, recently received a two-year, $85,180 grant for research on plant cell polarity.

The grant was awarded as part of the Oklahoma Plant Science Research program of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). OCAST awarded $540,000 under this program to seven Oklahoma researchers providing support for both basic and applied plant science research projects.

Blancaflor's research in this particular project focuses on root hairs, which develop from single cells that emerge on the surface of a root. These specialized cells help plants acquire water and nutrients from the soil more efficiently. Blancaflor chose to study root hairs for this project because they provide a model system for understanding basic mechanisms on how plant cells acquire their diverse shapes.

"Such knowledge is critical since it will lead to the discovery of new genes and pathways that are pivotal for understanding how plants develop," Blancaflor said. "This will allow us to make informed decisions and design strategies for genetically engineering plants with improved architecture and enhanced biomass."

State-of-the-art light microscopy equipment at the Noble Foundation's Cellular Imaging Facility, which is directed by Blancaflor, will facilitate the projects goals and will enable the basis of new discoveries and the development of technology for researchers not only in Oklahoma but throughout the international plant science community.