Video Provides Personal Look Into PHHI Director’s Research

Dr. Mary Ann Lila, director of N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI), runs a world-renowned research program that focuses on the bioactive compounds found in some plants, particularly fruits and vegetables, that confer human health benefits when the food is eaten.

Utilizing state-of-the-art lab facilities at the N.C. Research Campus, Lila and her team are identifying the specific compounds in plants that are responsible for certain health benefits (e.g. the anthocyanins found in blueberries can help counteract some chronic diseases). She’s investigating how these plant compounds function and can best be utilized as part of an arsenal of plant-based medicines.

Take a sneak peak into the “LilaLab” and the questions and goals that drive the research.

View videos highlighting other PHHI scientists and their research programs:

• Dr. Allan Brown
• Dr. Tzung-Fu Hsieh
• Dr. Slavko Komarnytsky
• Dr. Xu “Sirius” Li
• Dr. Jeremy Pattison
• Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie