Objective LATHYRUS SATIVUS (GRASS PEA) IN THE CHEAPEST LEGUME SEED AVAILABLE ON INDIA AND BANGLADESHI MARKETS. AT THE SAME TIME IT HAS THE HIGHEST PROTEIN VALUE AND ITS CULTURE IS LEAST AFFECTED BY ADVERSE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AND PESTS. THIS PLANT MAY BECOME THE "NUTRITIONAL VOLKSWAGEN" FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IF THE NEUROTOXIN ODAP, PRESENT IN ITS SEEDS, COULD BE REMOVED SAFELY AND CHEAPLY WITHOUT LOOSING ITS NUTRITIONAL VALUE, OR IF NON-TOXIC VARIETIES COULD BE DEVELOPED OR PRODUCED BY GENETIC ENGINEERING. THE PROGRAMME PROPOSED INVOLVES A MULTIPRONGED AND MULTIDFISCIPLINARY APPROACH THAT WILL COMBINE EXPERTISES IN AREAS OF - EPIDEMIOLOGY, TO ASSESS THE EXTEND OF THE LATHYRISM PROBLEM IN ETHIOPIA - NEUROLOGY, TO STUDY THE EVOLUTION OF THE DISEASE IN BANGLADESH AND TO IDENTIFY PRECLINICAL, POTENTIALY REVERSIBLE SYMPTOMS - FOOD PROCESSING AND NUTRITION TO DEVELOP METHODS TO SAFELY REMOVE THE TOXIN BY BIOLOGICAL (FERMENTATION) OR CHEMICAL (EXTRACTION) TREATMENTS - BIOCHEMISTRY TO DETERMINE AND ISOLATE THE KEY ENZYMES FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF THE TOXIN. IN ANIMAL MODELS, THE THRESHOLD FOR THE TOXICITY AND POTENTIAL PROTECTION BY VITAMINES OR MEDICINES WILL BE EVALUATED - MOLECULAR GENETICS TO PRODUCE TRANSGENIC PLANTS WHERE THE PRODUCTION OF THE TOXIN WOULD BE BLOCKED - AGRONOMISTS TO EVALUATE THE NEWLY OBTAINED CULTIVARS UNDER DIFFERENT CLIMIATIC CONDITIONS (ETHIOPIAN DRY HIGHLANDS, BANGLADESHI HUMID LOWLANDS, INDIAN DRY LOWLANDS AND SALINE LANDS AT THE COASTLINE OF BANGLADESH). THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME COMPLEMENTS PROJECTS CURRENTLY GOING ON IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES, SPONSORED BY I.D.R.C. CANADA, B.A.D.C. BELGIUM, AND BAND AID, UNDER THE GLOBAL UMBRELLA OF I.N.I.L.S.E.L. (INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF LATHYRUS SATIVUS AND THE ERADICATION OF LATHYRISM) AND ITS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEES. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmolecular biologymolecular geneticsmedical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologygenetic engineeringmedical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologyagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedslegumesengineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybioprocessing technologiesfermentation Programme(s) FP3-STD 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the life sciences and technologies for developing countries, 1990-1994 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Universiteit Gent EU contribution No data Address 185,De Pintelaan 9000 Gent Belgium See on map Total cost No data Participants (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Addis Ababa University Ethiopia EU contribution No data Address 2003 Addis-Abeba See on map Total cost No data Addis Ababa University Ethiopia EU contribution No data Address 2003 Addis-Abeba See on map Total cost No data Indira Gandhi Agricultural University India EU contribution No data Address Krishak Nagar 492012 Raipur (M.P.) See on map Total cost No data King's College London United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address Campden Hill Road W8 7AH London See on map Total cost No data Marathwada Agricultural University India EU contribution No data Address MS 431 402 431401 Parbhani See on map Total cost No data University of Dhaka Bangladesh EU contribution No data Address 1000 Dhaka See on map Total cost No data