CSU professor awarded $1 million for rice bran research

FORT COLLINS — A CSU professor will receive a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study rice bran’s ability to fight off pathogens, CSU said Tuesday.

Rice bran, the discarded brown covering on white rice grains, has untapped health benefits and can fight off pathogens such as Salmonella and Rotavirus, said Elizabeth Ryan, an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

“The number of kids who are dying of diarrhea around the world every day deserves rigorous research attention with practical, wide-reaching solutions,” Ryan said.

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The grant comes from the Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges Explorations, a $100 million initiative that enables people worldwide to test their ideas to address persistent health and development challenges. The grant is the second round of funding that Ryan’s project has received from the foundation.