The New York Times reported today (March 26) that a major tobacco company -- the Liggett Group -- sponsored a controversial lung cancer study last year totaling about $3.6 million in grants. Interestingly enough, I got an Email a couple of weeks ago from Stanton Glantz, University of California researcher and spokesperson against tobacco research funding, pointing me to a story in the Cornell Daily Sun reporting that Cornell had received a nearly $1 million grant from Philip Morris USA.

A press officer for Philip Morris International declined to say how much the grant was for, but confirmed that PMI had entered a research agreement with Cornell in 2006 aimed at constructing comparative genome maps of tobacco and other solaneceous species, like tomato, eggplant, potato, and coffee, among others. PMI's interest in this research project is to "use the knowledge to potentially enhance leaf properties such as flavor, reduce the harm caused by tobacco or improve the agricultural performance of the plant," the spokesperson wrote in an Email.

According to PMI, the project is being led by Steven Tanksley in the plant breeding and genetics department at Cornell. Cornell media relations officer Blaine Friedlander confirmed this, and also that the grant is in the amount of $923,037 for a project that is scheduled to run until this December. "Steve Tanksley is one of our premier professors," Friedlander said. "We're completely open [about the funding], it's out there. There's no secret."

Tanksley, a Wolf Prize recipient, has written more than 250 papers on plant genetics, according to the ISI database. He did not immediately return calls for comment.

Many universities have chosen to ban tobacco funding, while some like the University of California continue to debate the issue of a ban (read more here).

Obviously $1 million can get you far mapping plant genomes. Do you think basic research can benefit from large grants like this one, even if they come from tobacco companies? Tell us in a comment to this story.