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SENATOR KIT BOND ANNOUNCES $1 MILLION EPA FUNDING FOR PARASITIC NEMATODE CONTROLS RESEARCH PROJECT
-- Funding Supports Partnership Between Danforth Center and Divergence, Inc. --
ST. LOUIS (Jan. 22nd, 2004) - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $1,000,000 to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center for a joint research project with Divergence, Inc. to find new, safe and effective controls of parasitic nematodes.
Nematodes are microscopic, simple roundworms and are among the most abundant life forms on earth. Nematodes that are parasitic to plants or animals are an important subcategory of nematodes. It is estimated that plant-parasitic nematodes cause $77 billion in global crop damage each year.
The EPA-funded research will utilize the expertise of Danforth Center principal investigator Dr. Christopher Taylor and the groundbreaking application of genomics in agriculture from Divergence. Dr. Taylor is studying the complex relationship between plants and parasitic nematodes, while Divergence is developing products to control plant-parasitic diseases.
"Throughout Missouri, innovative plant and life science research initiatives like this one are taking shape and generating new entrepreneurial opportunities," said Bond. "Supporting collaborative research between the Danforth Center and Divergence is important in our effort to create new jobs in the St. Louis life sciences industry."
"We appreciate Senator Bond's long-standing and continued support, as this project represents one of the first entrepreneurial partnerships for the Danforth Center to stimulate regional economic development in plant and life sciences," explained Dr. Roger Beachy, president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. "We look forward to collaborating with Divergence as finding solutions for parasitic nematode infestation would increase the crop yield for growers throughout the world."
"Divergence is taking a unique approach to nematode control by using powerful tools such as genomics, bioinformatics, and molecular biology, rather than traditional environmentally harmful pesticides," explained Derek Rapp, chief executive officer of Divergence, Inc. "With the coming phase-out of several key products, most notably, methyl bromide, new, safe, pest-control products are needed. Because we are located just across the street from the Danforth Center, and we are both working on nematode research, we were able to develop a productive relationship which we feel will generate such products."
In addition to funding the nematode research, the EPA will also provide $500,000 to the Danforth Center for the development of environmental phytoremediation technologies, and for the development of environmentally safe novel materials and compounds in plants.
About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a global vision to improve the human condition. Research at the Danforth Center will enhance the nutritional content of plants to improve human health, increase agricultural production to create a sustainable food supply, and build scientific capacity to generate economic growth in the St. Louis region and throughout Missouri. Founded in 1998, the Danforth Center is the product of a unique and innovative alliance joining the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the University of Missouri-Columbia, Monsanto Company, Purdue University, and Washington University in St. Louis. Please visit www.danforthcenter.org for additional information.
About Divergence, Inc.
Divergence is a research and development company dedicated to the discovery of effective and ecologically sound strategies for the control of parasites and other pests. Having begun operations in 1999, Divergence's initial focus is on parasitic nematodes, one of the world's major pest groups. Nematodes are roundworms that cause billions of dollars in damage annually to numerous crops, including soybeans, corn, and cotton, as well as most fruits and vegetables. Nematodes also cause widespread disease in animals, including infections such as heartworm in dogs and cats and intestinal worms in livestock. Nematodes infecting humans include species causing elephantiasis and river blindness as well as numerous intestinal parasites. Please visit www.divergence.com for additional information.
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