|
 |
|
|
By Laurie Burstein
BUILDING THE BIOBELT
 As
a leader in the plant and medical sciences, the St. Louis region
is making a name for itself as the BioBelt. The 16-county, two-state
region with St. Louis at its center is home to nearly 400 plant
and medical sciences enterprises with a total of 15,220 employees.
The economic impact of the biotech industry on the region is significant—a
total direct and indirect annual economic impact of $10.5 billion.
With the plant and biomedical industry expected to grow even further
here, the St. Louis region is becoming a biotech business hub.
The region’s strengths include the medical schools at Washington
University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University, the Donald Danforth
Plant Science Center and the Missouri Botanical Garden, along with
a significant concentration of corporations with plant and biomedical
research facilities and scientists including Monsanto, Pfizer, Sigma-Aldrich,
Mallinckrodt and many others.
With facilities like the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Siteman Cancer
Center and the Human Genome Project at Washington University, the
region is gaining national and international recognition. Researchers
at local institutions in the BioBelt are leading the way in everything
from finding new treatmentsfor HIV/AIDS and cancer, to water pollution
cleanup and developing drought-resistant plants.
One such project now underway that clearly demonstrates the collaborative
efforts taking place throughout the region is the partnership between
the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University, the Missouri
Botanical Garden and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Together
these three formidable institutions are developing plant compounds
for the treatment of lung cancer, with clinical trials now being
conducted.
While the region has made great strides on becoming a biotech center,
corporate and civic leaders are working on ways to further build
the area into a world-class leader in the plant and medical sciences.
As part of a region-wide industry cluster strategy launched by the
St. Louis RCGA in 2000, commissioned through the Battelle Memorial
Institute to conduct research and recommendations for future growth
of the area’s biotech industry.
The region ranked in the top 20 out of 361 metropolitan areas in
the number of life- science employers and employees in 2002, the
most recent data available. Battelle notes that the region has made
great progress in a relatively short time, but that there is still
much more to be done in building the region’s biotech industry.
To that end, the Coalition for Plant and Life Sciences was formed
by RCGA and Civic Progress with Dr. William H. Danforth at its helm
with 37 additional area leaders to help make St. Louis the preferred
location for biotech start-ups, as well as more established companies.
The Coalition is focused on core issues including fostering more
research, transforming technology into commercial enterprise, creating
more lab facilities, developing more St. Louis venture capital investment,
and expanding the state and federal governments’ commitment to plant
and life science companies.
For start-ups and mid-size companies alike, more lab space is essential
for them to thrive. While the region has two very successful biotech
business incubators—The 40,000- square-foot NIDUS Center in Creve
Coeur and the 100,000-square-foot Center for Emerging Technologies
in midtown—both are nearly full, a good sign for the burgeoning
industry.
To meet the demand, two new research and commercialization projects
are underway to support and expand the region’s infrastructure for
new and established biotech companies.
The first commercial building with specialized lab space is soon
to open in the Center of Research, Technology and Enterpreneurial
Expertise (CORTEX)—an area of midtown St. Louis for biotech businesses.
Located on several hundred acres, CORTEX is an urban research district
anchored by institutions like Washington University, Saint Louis
University, BJC Hospital Foundation, the Missouri Botanical Garden
and the Center for Emerging Technologies.
The second development will be for a bioscience research park. Plans
for the “North Eight,” a new eight-acre development adjacent to
the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the NIDUS Center, and
Monsanto, include a three-phase development of multi-tenant buildings
designed to support businesses graduating from incubators. A Letter
of Intent for the purchase of the land has been signed with a national
developer of similar facilities that has successfully completed
similar projects on the East and West coasts of the U.S.
Building the BioBelt brand is part of the RCGA’s efforts to define
the St. Louis region’s unique characteristics among world plant
and life science centers. The brand is becoming nationally known
through the region’s new marketing and branding campaign which promotes
the industry at trade shows, in the media and on the website, www.stlouisbiobelt.org.
The region’s leaders and institutions will continue to work to build
on the region’s strong plant and life sciences foundation and continue
its global leadership position.
TOP BIOBELT LEADERS
Share Their Vision for the St. Louis Region
Career Highlights:
Dr. Roger N. Beachy has spent 35 years in the plant life sciences
field and became president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science
Center in 1999. The Danforth Center conducts research to enhance
the nutritional content of plants, improve human health and increase
agricultural production. Dr. Beachy is involved in various research
projects conducted by the 160 full-time scientists, research associates,
and technicians at the Center.
Dr. Beachy was instrumental in developing the world’s first genetically
modified food crop, a variety of tomato that was modified for resistance
to virus disease.
Key Projects:
Key research projects underway at the Donald Danforth Plant Science
Center include:
- Finding
a potential therapy for a rare insulin disorder in green
tea.
- Discovering
the natural sunscreen in plants—Vitamin B6.
- A
maize genome pilot sequencing project.
- Increasing
the Vitamin E content of corn seeds.
|
Vision for
the St. Louis Region:
“I left San Diego in 1999 to lead the Danforth Center here because
of the St. Louis area’s unique commitment to leadership in plant
and life sciences. Both the public and private sectors show outstanding
dedication to creating new knowledge and products that will improve
the environment and help lead to a sustainable future. As a new
institution, it’s a great feeling to be part of the burgeoning R&D
environment in St. Louis and flourish in the warmth of its people
and its institutions.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. Robert Belshe has spent 30 years in the infectious diseases
field and today oversees the SLU Center for Vaccine Development,
a research center designed to conduct clinical research on new vaccines
and biologics.
He was a leader in the successful development of the live flu vaccine,
the FluMist nasal spray vaccine, and has also been involved in developing
a new generation of vaccines for childhood meningitis, whooping
cough, hepatitis A, and others.
Key Projects:
Dr. Belshe is currently involved in avian flu vaccine studies for
children.
SLU is also one of 20 sites running clinical trials for a new AIDS
vaccine, which is showing a lot of promise.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“Plant-medical science is incredibly strong in St. Louis. It offers
the basis for expanding all of biotechnology.”
“We have a very strong base to build on with the Missouri Botanical
Garden, the Danforth Plant Science Center, Monsanto, Saint Louis
University and Washington University. It’s a base of scientists
that with some organization and collaboration could grow into a
national plant-based biotech industry hotbed.”
Career Highlights:
Michael J. Collins has been with Mallinckrodt for 30 years and has
served as Group President of the Pharmaceuticals Division since
2000. Mallinckrodt is a multibillion-dollar corporation specializing
in respiratory care, imaging products and analgesic pharmaceuticals,
employing around 2,400 people in the region.
Under Mr. Collins’ leadership, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals opened
a state-of-the-art R&D Center in Webster Groves in 2005. The modernization
of the downtown St. Louis chemical facility, with over $450 million
in improvements over the last 10 years, has also been a major accomplishment.
Key Projects:
The Webster Groves site has several new generic products under development
that provide extended release of pain relievers and utilize active
ingredients the company manufactures at its downtown St. Louis plant.
Mallinckrodt is looking at another $12 million capital expansion
of the Webster Groves site for further development of liquid tablets
and capsules.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“With our recent expansion, we’re excited to now have the capacity
to further expand our drug development capabilities, both in Webster
Groves and in the labs at our St. Louis facility.”
“The St. Louis area provides outstanding technical resources from
the local universities, and it is a vibrant and extremely affordable
city to attract talent from outside the area.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. William H. Danforth first joined Washington University’s Medical
School in 1957 and became president of the medical school from 1965-71.
He then served as Washington University’s thirteenth chancellor
from 1971 until his retirement in 1995. He is currently Chancellor
Emeritus of Washington University and is chairman of the board of
directors of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
Key Projects:
For the past several years, Dr. Danforth has served as the chair
for the Coalition of Plant and Life Sciences made up of 37 area
leaders who are working to strengthen St. Louis’ ability to capture
the commercial and economic potential of the region’s research assets.
His work includes supporting the development of venture capital
and expanding area facilities for the biotech industry in the region.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“We have a wonderful opportunity to build on the great life science
strengths of the region. In particular, St, Louis has outstanding
research in the biomedical and plant science areas. From an economic
development standpoint, it makes sense to transform these technologies
with commercial potential from research settings into new commercial
enterprises.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. David Duncan spent 22 years of his career with Monsanto before
becoming a biotech entrepreneur and CEO of Chlorogen. In 2005, he
raised more than $6 million in venture capital funding to further
Chlorogen’s plant-made pharmaceuticals business focused on developing
proteins directed towards diseases such as ovarian cancer.
Dr. Duncan was the first client of Monsanto’s NIDUS Center, a business
incubator for biotech start-ups.
Key Projects:
Chlorogen’s resources are focused on developing a specific protein
biologic for ovarian cancer, as well as uterine and cervical cancers.
As a potential treatment for these high-mortality diseases, Chlorogen’s
drug candidates have the opportunity to change the lives of many
women in the U.S. and around the world.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“Our region we call the BioBelt has much to offer and Chlorogen
is pleased to be part of it. Organizations like the Danforth Family
Foundation, Monsanto and the State of Missouri have really stepped
up to the plate to provide seed funding for entrepreneurs. Chlorogen
is the beneficiary of both the NIDUS and Danforth Centers. Our offices,
labs and part of our analytical capability are owed to these facilities.”
“There are some gaps to fill to expand the region’s vision. We need
more lab space and more venture capital investment. I would also
like to see more plans and programs include the rural communities
throughout the State.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. Timothy J. Eberlein joined Washington University in 1998 and
has more than 20 years experience in the medical field.
He led the effort to build the Siteman Cancer Center, now the third
largest cancer clinic in the nation, with $140 million in annual
research support.
Key Projects:
The Siteman Cancer Center, along with the Missouri Botanical Garden
and the Danforth Plant Science Center, are working together to develop
the use of plant compounds in the treatment of cancer. Clinical
trials are underway for treating lung cancer with these plant compounds.
The Siteman Cancer Center is also working with the Genome Sequencing
Center at Washington University to identify genes associated with
various kinds of cancer and with Mallinckrodt/Tyco Healthcare, a
world leader in imaging, to develop new imaging tools that will
detect cancer in a microscopic stage to allow for earlier treatment.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“From genomics and imaging to plant science treatments for cancer,
I am really excited about the new technology coming out of St. Louis.”
“The St. Louis region could easily become the biotech capital of
the world with our four huge research centers—The Siteman Cancer
Center, Washington University Medical School, the Missouri Botanical
Garden and the Danforth Plant Science Center. We have four world-class
institutions working together in a very collaborative environment.“
Career Highlights:
Dr. Daniel P. Getman began his career in 1982 with Monsanto and
through various acquisitions is now vice president for Global Research
and Development for Pfizer. He was named Pfizer’s chair of the Exploratory
Development Committee and works with project teams to transition
new drug candidates into early human clinical trials.
As Director of Pfizer’s St. Louis Laboratories, Dr. Getman oversees
Pfizer’s nearly 1,200 employees, with over 1,000 in research who focus
on creating new medicines to help patients who suffer from arthritis,
pain, inflammatory disorders, heart disease, allergy and asthma.
He also helped establish the Pfizer facility in St. Louis as an
active member of the business and civic community.
Key Projects:
In addition to focusing on the discovery and development of new
medicines, Dr. Getman is currently in charge of Pfizer’s New Research
Building at the company’s Chesterfield site, Pfizer’s global headquarters
for early stage biotech. This is a nearly $200 million project which
will bring all of the company’s researchers together at the Chesterfield
site.
Dr. Getman is also involved in Pfizer’s new Center for Biologics
where protein-based medicines for insulin and growth hormones will
be developed.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“I see our Region as an energetic environment where life science
companies thrive—both new and existing ones. St. Louis and Missouri
have laid a good foundation, but we all have to continue to nurture
and support this initiative. It will take cooperation and collaboration
between all parts of our community—the various incubator organizations,
existing life science companies, academic institutions, local and
state government, and the general business community. The entire
community has made a great start and we need to maintain our focus.”
Career Highlights:
Hugh Grant began his career with Monsanto in 1981. Today, as CEO
of Monsanto, he oversees the leading global provider of agricultural
products of technology-based solutions and products that improve
farm productivity and food quality.
After spending the first 10 years of his career with Monsanto in
a variety of European markets, he relocated in St. Louis as global
strategy director of the agricultural division, and was responsible
for global management of the Roundup herbicide franchise. In 1995,
he was named Monsanto’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific Region.
And in April 2003, he became CEO.
Key Projects:
Monsanto has undertaken a serious global effort to address drought
and stress tolerance of crops. In both the developed and developing
world, crops lost to drought and stress total in the millions of
acres and billions of dollars each year. This innovation could be
huge, since 70 percent of the world’s fresh water is used in agriculture,
and demands for this precious commodity continue to rise.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“The pace of change and innovation in agricultural technology will
be even faster in the next 10 years and St. Louis will continue
to be at the center—some call it the epicenter—of that transformation
of American and world agriculture. With 50 percent of U.S. agriculture
within 500 miles of the region, it stands to reason that one of
the St. Louis region’s most unique attributes is its strength, its
breadth and depth in the area of plant sciences.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. Ganesh Kishore spent 21 years with Monsanto, where he was the
assistant chief scientist and chief biotechnologist. During his
tenure at Monsanto, he led the efforts on the discovery and development
of the most successful Ag biotech trait, called Roundup Ready. He
also developed manufacturing processes for Aspartame, the sweetener
found in NutraSweet and Equal.
Key Projects:
For the past four years, Dr. Kishore has been in charge of biotechnology
at DuPont. One of Dupont’s business units, St. Louis-based Solae,
is developing new ways to use soy protein in human nutrition. DuPont
is leveraging biotechnology to improve agriculture and nutrition,
materials and fuels.
Dr. Kishore is also very involved in bio-energy and new methods
to develop crops for fuel. He is part of a team that includes the
Danforth Plant Science Center, the State of Missouri, the RCGA and
others, who are developing a plan for the region and the State to
work together to produce cost-effective bio-fuels.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“The St. Louis region can be a major force in the areas of food,
feed, and fuel, and we are already making significant contributions.
St. Louis is in a great position both geographically and as an agricultural
center. We have the ability to link our academic institutions and
their innovations with our corporations and government entities
to create sustainability and growth here and elsewhere.”
Career Highlights:
In 2000, Jai P. Nagarkatti became president of Sigma-Aldrich Fine
Chemicals, and in 2003 became president of scientific research for
the company, before being named CEO.
Nagarkatti has been instrumental in helping Sigma-Aldrich become
the world’s leading research chemical supplier and a top 10 fine
chemical supplier.
Today the company offers 130,000 different products for life science
and high technology research and commercial application. Sigma-Aldrich
manufactures over 45,000 products in-house at one of the company’s
plants around the world. It has a major presence in St Louis with
approximately 2000 employees.
Key Projects:
Current projects are underway in the areas of genomic, functional
genomics, proteomics, and cell biology.
One key project involves gene-silencing technology. With the company’s
recent commitment to in-house R&D, acquisitions, intellectual property
in licensing, and partnerships with leading academic institutions
and bio-pharma companies in the USA and abroad, Sigma-Aldrich is
a leader in this area.
The company also has plans to expand it’s manufacturing capabilities
to extract and purify proteins and biologically-active compounds
from plant and animal materials at their St Louis location.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“The St Louis area has the benefit of having both start-ups and
well-established companies engaged in life science research. This
forms the nucleus for creating a cluster of biotechnology-focused
companies which are supported by our top-caliber research and teaching
institutions.”
“Groups such as the RCGA and the Missouri Botanical Garden, Danforth
Plant Center and the St. Louis Science Center are actively engaged
to increase community awareness to the importance of science to
improve the quality of life. State and local governments are also
very supportive toward building the BioBelt.”
“The key to success will be the ability of all stake-holders (government,
industry and academic institutions) to work closely and have an
even greater level of interaction.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. Philip Needleman was the senior executive vice president and
chief scientist of Pharmacia from 2000 - 2003. In 1989 he was senior
vice president of Monsanto, and in 1993 became president of Searle
Research and Development. As head of pharmaceutical R&D, Dr. Needleman
lead the team on the discovery and development of important new
drugs, including Celebrex.
Dr. Needleman also spent 25 years at Washington University School
of Medicine, where he was professor and chairman of the Department
of Pharmacology.
Key Projects:
Currently Dr. Needleman is a partner with Prospect Ventures Partners,
a venture capital firm dedicated to investing in biomedical and
healthcare innovation, where he shares his experience and gives
advice to start-up companies.
He is also associate dean for special projects at Washington University’s
School of Medicine, and is a board member for both the Coalition
for Plant and Life Sciences and the Danforth Plant Science Center.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“St. Louis is certainly on the map as a biotech player with our
universities and companies like Monsanto, as well as the Danforth
Center. We have the incubators and focused enterprise. We are seeing
more of an infusion of venture capital here, which is critical.
I am very optimistic that there will be a steady increase in our
growth and visibility as a biotech center.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. Ralph Quatrano has been a professor since 1968, having spent
38 years in the field of biology. For the past eight years, he has
been with Washington University as chairman of Biology.
Dr. Quatrano has made contributions in the biotech community in
several endeavors, including helping to create the first biotech
center at Oregon State University in the mid-1980s, and directing
a plant biotechnology center at DuPont Company.
Key Projects:
Dr. Quatrano represents Washington University in a collaborative
effort with Monsanto, the Danforth Center and the Missouri Botanical
Garden to study how plants respond to drought and how to generate
plants that are more drought-tolerant.
Future projects include developing new ways plants can be used in
human nutrition.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“I came to St. Louis eight years ago, because I recognized that
this region was a leader in plant science. We now have a real opportunity
to use the expertise of our key academic institutions and corporations—including
Washington University, the Missouri Botanical Garden, The Danforth
Center and Monsanto—to leverage plant science especially in the
areas of human nutrition and developing drought-tolerant plants.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. Peter Raven has spent over 35 years building the Missouri Botanical
Garden into a world renowned international research center. Under
Dr. Raven’s leadership, the Garden has become a leader in botanical
research, education and horticultural display.
In 2001, Dr. Raven received the National Medal of Science, the highest
award for scientific accomplishment in the U.S. In 2000, Time Magazine
named him a Hero of the Planet.
Key Projects:
Dr. Raven is involved in numerous projects around the world, including
promoting sustainability in countries such as Peru and Vietnam,
where people are trained to grow sustainable food sources using
the most recent plant science technology.
Dr. Raven is also building the world’s largest and most complete
database about plants.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“St. Louis has the potential to be a major international force in
the alleviation of hunger and poverty through our strengths in plant
and life sciences. Our collection of institutions—made up of corporations,
medical centers, universities and cultural entities—are engaged
in finding sustainable solutions.”
“But we can do even more. I would like to see more collaboration
between Missouri and Illinois and the universities there. We also
need more lab space for our mid-level companies.“
“We have a fabulous cultural and business center here. We have the
resources in science and technology to be a world leader. We need
to recognize and promote these strengths even further.”
Career Highlights:
Dr. Larry J. Shapiro became Dean of Washington University’s Medical
School in 2004. Previously he spent 12 years at the University of
California, where he was chairman of the Department of Pediatrics.
He also has done extensive research in the field of genetics and
gene regulation. He is a graduate of Washington University Medical
School.
Key Projects:
Dr. Shapiro and Washington University have several bioscience initiatives
underway in the areas of genomics:
The University is researching acute leukemia to understand genes
that can predict the diseases’ response to new drugs.
The sequencing of hundreds of genes from patients is underway along
with a new study in pharmagenomics to determine which drugs are
effective for a particular patient.
Another major initiative is in imaging. Washington University built
the first PET scanning device and is now building a new center for
clinical imaging research.
Vision for the St. Louis Region:
“The St. Louis region could become a hub of the discovery, pharmaceutical
and medical device industry. Washington University is involved in
virtually every facet of the effort to create the BioBelt. We educate
and train a large number of scientists, technicians and others who
would be the work force. In addition, we have sponsored research
in excess of $425 million a year, which translates into salaries
and makes us a major employer in the biosciences. Finally, Washington
University has been, and will continue to be, the producer of intellectual
property that becomes the foundation of growth for future enterprises.“
|
|
|
|
|
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
