Scientists from all over the world came to labs near York today to hear about the revolutionary potential of plants.

The third annual Bioscience York Symposium, called Plant Cell Factories - A Commercial Perspective, was taking place at the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton.

Speakers came from as far away as the University of Pennsylvania to talk about ways in which plants can be exploited in the new Millennium.

Delegates were told about the development of new vaccines from plants, and how oils and starches extracted from plants can be used.

Another topic, presented by Dr Maggie Smallwood from York University, was the development of natural antifreeze from plants, which can be used to improve the quality of frozen food and help with the preservation of medical tissues.

The symposium is seen as another opportunity for York to burnish its image as an international centre of bioscience. The University, and also York companies such as Nstle Rowntree and Smith & Nephew, employ hundreds of scientists to conduct academic and commercial research in this field.

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