Soybean Innovation Lab project to expand soybean markets in Africa with new grant

University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

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A new Gates Foundation grant for $1.5 million to the University of Illinois' Soybean Innovation Laboratory will strengthen and expand testing of new seed products across sub-Saharan Africa.

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Credit: Soybean Innovation Lab

URBANA, Ill. -- Developing a thriving soybean market in Africa doesn’t just represent a new crop in the rotation for smallholder farmers — it builds an entire ecosystem of seed companies, processors, and trade partners ready to enter the global soybean market. The Soybean Innovation Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been working toward this reality for more than a decade. 

“With 12 years of federal funding from USAID, we conducted the research, built the infrastructure with our partners, and de-risked market-led growth in Africa’s soybean sector,” said Peter Goldsmith, SIL director and emeritus professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics,  part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois.

With USAID shuttered, SIL has gone from working in 31 countries to four: one of which is Malawi, where they’re leveraging the Shire Valley Transformation Program’s irrigation infrastructure to build up soybean in the region. This work was made possible by an anonymous $1 million donation. Now, SIL has secured another $1.5 million from the Gates Foundation to strengthen and expand testing of new seed products across sub-Saharan Africa.

Breaking the bottleneck in Africa’s seed systems

The new two-year investment will fund the expansion of SIL’s Pan-African Trials (PAT™) platform — a first-of-its-kind, market-based system that allows new soybean varieties to be tested, registered, and commercialized across multiple countries simultaneously.

For decades, African countries struggled to move new crop varieties from research to market due to fragmented, slow, and expensive national registration processes. As a result, farmers in countries like Malawi lacked access to new and improved soybean varieties, sometimes for a decade or more.

“Historically, the seed approval process in many countries takes at least two years, which can slow down the availability of new soybean varieties in the market,” Goldsmith explained. “Through PAT™, we’ve found a way to work within Africa’s regional trade structures so that once a soybean variety is registered in two countries, it becomes available in up to 28 others. That’s a massive breakthrough for farmers and seed companies.”

By 2027, SIL and its partners aim to register at least 10 new soybean varieties in the SADC and COMESA regional catalogs, including varieties with soybean rust resistance. Goldsmith is confident the plan will be successful because SIL and its partners have supported the release of eight new soybean varieties in Malawi alone since launching the PAT™ platform in 2019.

How investments in Africa benefit the world

While SIL’s work focuses on African farmers and seed systems, Goldsmith says the ripple effects reach far beyond the continent. Strengthening Africa’s soybean market helps stabilize the global supply chain, creates new trade opportunities, and opens pathways for collaboration across hemispheres.

Soybean demand is growing rapidly across sub-Saharan Africa, fueled by the rise of poultry, aquaculture, and plant-based protein industries. Goldsmith says opportunities abound for U.S. exports as soybean and soy products become the industrial standard across Africa. 

“Every time a country builds a functional, transparent seed and grain market, the global system becomes more efficient and resilient,” Goldsmith added. “It creates a foundation for trade — from grain and seed to inputs, machinery, and management know-how — and those are areas where the U.S. continues to lead.”

Building on a foundation of public support

Goldsmith emphasizes that this milestone is built squarely on the foundation laid by years of public investment.

“This project wouldn’t exist without USAID’s early and sustained support,” he said. “Those funds enabled us to do the research, build partnerships, and understand the system well enough to make it work commercially. The market is taking over, which is good. However, what about the next innovation, breakthrough, or improvement? The Soybean Innovation Lab’s impact demonstrates the critical and powerful role public funding plays in the high-risk and slowly developing world of early-stage research and development.”

Research in the College of ACES is made possible in part by Hatch funding from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.  

BACON

The smell of fatty foods during pregnancy promotes obesity in offspring

The brains of the offspring show similarities to those of obese adult mice

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

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A research team at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research has found that the smell of fatty foods during pregnancy increases the risk of overweight and obesity in children. The researchers fed pregnant mice a healthy diet low in fat but containing fatty smells, such as the smell of bacon. The mothers themselves did not change their metabolism, but their offspring reacted more strongly to a high-fat diet and developed more pronounced obesity and insulin resistance, a sign of type 2 diabetes.

The researchers also found that the brains of the offspring had changed. The dopaminergic system, which plays an important role in motivation and reward, and the AgRP neurons, which control hunger and whole-body metabolism, reacted differently to high-fat food. ‘The brains of the offspring resembled those of obese mice, simply because their mothers had eaten a healthy food that smelled like fatty food”, explains Laura Casanueva Reimon, co-first author of the study.

The researchers found that fetuses are exposed to the smells of unhealthy foods while still in the womb and as newborns during breastfeeding through their mother's milk. Artificial activation of neural circuits associated with the smell of fatty foods during the neonatal period was sufficient to trigger obesity in adulthood.

What does this mean for humans?

It is known that children of overweight mothers have an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves. The study suggests that the mere smell of fatty food during development can increase the risk of overweight and obesity later in life, even in lean and healthy mothers. However, it is important to emphasize that in these experiments the mothers needed to ingest the food containing the fatty odors, as mere exposure to the smell alone did not lead to obesity in the offspring.

“What we discovered changes how we think a mother’s diet can influence the health of her children,” explains Sophie Steculorum, who led the study. “Until now, the focus has mostly been on maternal health and the negative effects of eating a high-fat diet, such as the risk of gaining too much weight. But our results suggest that the smells fetuses and newborns are exposed to could influence their health later in life independently of their mother’s health.”

Flavouring agents as food additives

The researchers used various flavouring agents to create the diets used for their investigations and found that these often contained the same ingredients that are used as food additives. One of this additive alone was able to trigger the same effects in the offspring. ‘The findings point to the need for more research to understand how consuming these substances during pregnancy or breastfeeding could affect babies’ development and metabolic health later in life“, said Sophie Steculorum.

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Journal

Nature Metabolism

DOI

10.1038/s42255-025-01405-8 

Article Title

Fat sensory cues in early life program central response to food and obesity Nature Metabolism

Article Publication Date

1-Dec-2025

 

Non-timber products have the potential to finance reforestation projects

Study identifies 167 native species of the Atlantic Forest with bioeconomic applications: 58% in the medical field, 12% in cosmetics, and 5% in the food sector; 78 species (46.7%) have patents registered in 61 countries, only 8% of them in Brazil.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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The cost of forest restoration is a considerable obstacle, sparking discussions in recent years about how to make it economically viable. Since native wood management, carbon credits, and payment for ecosystem services are long-term solutions – the latter two with a nascent market – a group of researchers proposes exploiting non-timber forest products with added value to generate income from reforestation areas.

In an article published in the journal Ambio, a group led by researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) points out that 59% of the plant species sampled in the Paraíba do Sul Valley region have some bioeconomic potential.

“The advantage of non-timber product management is that it’s based on the collection of leaves, branches, seeds, and fruits, constituting non-destructive management, keeping the forest standing and potentially bringing gains in the medium term,” says Pedro Medrado Krainovic, the first author of the study, which he conducted as part of his postdoctoral research at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA) at USP with a scholarship from FAPESP.

The work was also supported by two Science Centers for Development (SCDs), BIOTA Synthesis (project 20/06694-8) and Estratégia Mata Atlântica (SCD-EMA, project 21/11940-0), in addition to the NewFor project, which is part of the FAPESP Research Program on Biodiversity Characterization, Conservation, Restoration, and Sustainable Use (BIOTA-FAPESP). 

The researchers analyzed 46 plots of forest, each 900 square meters (m²), in the Paraíba do Sul Valley, a region between the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro, from the NewFor database. In these areas, they identified all trees with a diameter greater than five centimeters at breast height. The total area sampled was 41,400 m².

Of the 329 species identified in the survey, 283 were native. Of these, 167 (59%) have some bioeconomic potential, according to a search conducted by the researchers of studies on the plants, including those on analytical chemistry, in vitro and in vivo studies, preclinical and clinical trials, and forestry practices. Of the species with potential, 58% have medical potential, 12% have cosmetic potential, and 5% have food potential. However, only 13% of the studies reached the final product stage. The araucaria (Araucaria angustifolia) and juçara (Euterpe edulis) were some of the species that appeared in the most studies; they are known for providing food.

The researchers estimated market interest by searching for patents filed worldwide based on the plants found. In this regard, 78 species (46.7%) have registered patents in 61 countries; however, only 8% of these patents are in Brazil.

“The number of patents is evidence of the economic potential of these species. It gives us an idea of what can already arouse interest and commercial potential, while those without patents show how much can still be found through research and development, such as new medicinal molecules, cosmetics, and even foods,” Krainovic explains.

Economic option

According to the authors, exploiting non-timber products is a way to offset the costs of restoration, even when another economic objective is defined, such as native wood extraction. Since the most valuable timber species have long life cycles, exploiting non-timber products can be an intermediate source of income while the wood is not ready to be extracted.

According to the Brazilian Forest Code, timber exploitation is prohibited in permanent preservation areas (APPs), including riverbanks, steep slopes, and mountaintops. In projects to restore these areas, which Brazil greatly needs, sustainable, low-impact management of non-timber product extraction can provide the funds for reforestation, while adding multifunctionality to forests that already fulfill important ecosystem functions, such as supplying water, protecting soil, sequestering carbon, and pollinating.

“It’s necessary to consider that the ultimate goal of ecosystem restoration is the return of ecosystem services, which are also important for agricultural activity. However, seeking sustainable ways to make these projects viable is a way to make restoration more attractive to rural producers,” the researcher points out (read more at onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec.70089). 

Job qualifications

Reforestation projects using native species are known to generate many jobs that don’t require qualifications. A 2022 study published in the British Ecological Society’s People and Nature journal estimated that Brazil could generate 2.5 million jobs if it meets the Paris Agreement target of restoring 12 million hectares by 2030. Some of the authors of the current study contributed to this study.

However, it is important to consider that the exploitation of forest resources must be managed in a way that does not lead to the overexploitation of species, which can result in deforestation instead of recovery. Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora), an Amazonian tree valued for its essential oil used in fine perfumes, is an example from the past. Exploitation of this species peaked in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, the species is threatened with extinction.

The researchers also cite measures such as public procurement, certification, and other policies that could contribute to the opening of sustainable markets for non-timber products.

Cross-referencing the databases used in the study (abundance of sampled species, potential uses reported in the scientific literature, and registered patents) could guide future forest restoration projects in other Brazilian biomes.

“Rare, scarce species with significant economic potential could be added to active restoration projects involving the planting of seedlings. In turn, abundant and easily managed species that grow naturally can be better studied to find economic uses, stacking tangible and intangible values of forests and native species and creating ecological-economic multifunctionality,” Krainovic points out.

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.

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Journal

AMBIO

DOI

10.1007/s13280-025-02234-5 

Article Title

Bioeconomic opportunities in restored tropical forests

 

Hormone-disrupting chemicals from plastics shown to promote a chronic inflammatory skin condition

A new Johns Hopkins Medicine study shows metabolites (molecular byproducts) of endocrine-disrupting chemicals shed by plastics are present in the skin of people with hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic inflammatory skin disorder, potentially worsening 

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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A Johns Hopkins Medicine study involving a dozen people with the inflammatory skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), which mostly affects skin folds, is believed to be the first to provide evidence that hormone-disrupting chemicals commonly found in ultra-processed food and single-use water bottles may contribute to the development of or worsen the condition in some people

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Credit: Kaitlin Williams, Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Johns Hopkins Medicine study involving a dozen people with the inflammatory skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), which mostly affects skin folds, is believed to be the first to provide evidence that hormone-disrupting chemicals commonly found in ultra-processed food and single-use water bottles may contribute to the development of or worsen the condition in some people. 

The new findings about the disorder build on previous reports about the role of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, a common environmental contaminant known to mimic, block or alter the body’s hormones, in human health. Researchers believe their findings suggest that reducing exposure could ease HS symptom severity and provide a new avenue of relief for a disease with limited FDA-approved treatment options that include biologic therapy and surgery. 

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the full report on the study was published in Nature Communications on Nov. 28 and includes insights into the molecular mechanisms that are involved in the disease.

Found in 2% to 3% of the U.S. population and predominantly diagnosed in African American women, hidradenitis suppurativa is thought to occur when hair follicles at areas of skin friction, such as the thighs, become inflamed and develop into abscesses, causing chronic skin infections, pain, tissue damage and scars. 

While most diagnosed HS cases are considered sporadic and arise due to an interplay of environmental and genetic factors, roughly 1%–5% of patients have a single inherited mutation that causes the condition. Though the causes differ, outcomes and treatment responses are similar, suggesting that all cases share overlapping biological mechanisms. 

To find underlying disease pathways linking inherited and sporadic HS, the researchers compared skin samples from 12 patients with HS — who were ages 22–67 and of African American, Asian American, Hispanic American and white heritage — to samples from eight patients without HS. They discovered that the levels of nicastrin (NCSTN), a commonly mutated gene in HS, were reduced in all participants. Specifically, they noted NCSTN levels were low in skin fibroblasts, a known immune regulator and cell type necessary for the maintenance of connective tissues. 

Based on their observations and the known association between nicastrin mutations and inflammatory skin diseases, the researchers hypothesized NCSTN loss primes fibroblasts to react intensely to pro-inflammatory biological signals, such as TNF-alpha — a known contributor to HS, psoriasis and other inflammatory skin diseases. This results in the uncontrolled overproduction of inflammatory molecules. 

“Until recently, keratinocytes (skin cells found in the outermost layer of skin) were the main focus of HS research,” says Kaitlin Williams, the study’s lead author and an M.D./Ph.D. candidate in the Garza Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “But, we were able to show that intentionally stopping NCSTN expression in non-HS fibroblasts is enough to create a reactive, pro-inflammation environment. This suggests fibroblasts may be as important as keratinocytes in the inflammatory part of this disease.”   

Connecting these findings to a known association between hidradenitis suppurativa and the consumption of ultra-processed foods, the researchers tested to see if the levels of plastic-associated endocrine disruptors (p-EDs) called bisphenols (e.g., BPA, BPB, BPS) and phthalates (e.g., DEHP, MEHP, MEP) were elevated in patients with HS and, if they were, how p-EDs possibly contributed to HS. 

Using an imaging technique to detect the presence and location of specific chemicals in samples, researchers were able to observe elevated levels of p-ED metabolites (molecules made by the body as it breaks down p-Eds) in the skin of HS patients versus the non-HS control group. 

The researchers then created a cocktail of eight common bisphenols and phthalates and applied them to normal fibroblasts. They discovered the p-ED cocktail lowered NCSTN levels proportionally to the concentration applied, recreating observations seen in HS samples from earlier in the study. Overall, the findings further implicate a possible role for p-EDs in some cases of HS. 

The researchers say they hope to explore why p-EDs remain trapped in the skin at higher levels in people with HS, and whether intentionally increasing the expression of NCSTN could improve HS symptoms. 

The study was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases/the National Institutes of Health (R01AR083822, T32GM136577 and R56AR082660 ), the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Dermatology’s Ina R. Drew and Howard J. Drew Innovation Fund, the Cutaneous Translational Research Program (CTReP), the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Oncology Tissue and Imaging Services Core and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Daniel Nathans Scholar fund. 

Luis A. Garza, M.D., Ph.D., has received grant support from Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC) to research intellectual property owned by The Johns Hopkins University and has received royalty payments from SPARC under a licensing agreement with the group, which is not related to the study. The other authors do not have financial or conflict-of-interest disclosures. 

Other Johns Hopkins researchers who contributed to the study are Beita Badiei, James Reilly, Hana B. Minsky, Nina Rossa Haddad, Eddie Martinez, Mengqi Sun, Sam Lee, Ang Li, Leigh Curvin-Aquilla, Arieana Y. Johnson, Aiden Willis, Charles Kirby, Amy van Ee, Yingchao Xue, Carrie A. Cox, Shanmuga Priya Rajagopalan, Sewon Kang, Julie Caffrey, and Nathan K. Archer. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65789-7 

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Journal

Nature Communications