Phillip Morris USA has announced it will give 17.6 million dollars to North Carolina State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to map the genetic structure of tobacco.
The grant will finance a four and a half year research effort and sequence 90 percent of the plant's genes. The school's scientists say the genetic mapping could lead to engineering the leaf to produce medicinal chemicals.
For its part Phillip Morris officials say unlocking the genetic composition could lead to ways of making tobacco safer for smokers.