UFV TODAY November 17, 2025
Sometimes when conducting research, scientists make unexpected discoveries that change how we understand the world.
In Dr. Harley Gordon’s case, the unexpected discovery came while he was studying how salicylic acid is synthesized in plants. Harley, an assistant professor in biology at the University of the Fraser Valley, was part of a team that recently discovered a brand-new mechanism of phytohormone synthesis in a range of plant species. This kind of discovery matters because salicylic acid plays a central role in how plants keep themselves healthy.
Salicylic acid, the plant compound that inspired the creation of Aspirin, plays a central role in plant immunity — and now researchers better understand how it’s made.
“We’ve discovered the main way that most plants appear to create salicylic acid,” Harley notes. “We’ve identified brand new biosynthetic enzymes for the natural production of salicylic acid.”
Harley began this research project with a team from the University of Victoria while completing his doctoral studies. He has continued to contribute since joining UFV in 2024, using chemistry labs on the Abbotsford campus.