$5M to fund expansion of nutraceuticals research centre

Winnipeg, MB – The Winnipeg-based National Centre for Agrifood Research in Medicine is receiving $5 million in funding from the federal government to support its expansion.

The funding is cost-shared. The centre is receiving $3.75 million through the tri-partite Winnipeg Partnership Agreement and an additional $1.25 million through the federal-provincial Agricultural Policy Framework.

Located at both the St. Boniface General Hospital Research Centre and the Asper Clinical Research Institute, the centre will focus much of its research on crops grown in Western Canada. Research will identify and test foods for natural health products or nutraceuticals. One food to be examined is flaxseed, the richest source of alpha-linolenic, an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid. This acid has been shown to provide benefits for several cardiovascular immune/inflammatory and neurological disorders.