Hi-Bred International, of Des Moines, is a DuPont subsidiary and integrator of agricultural research and biotechnology. Pioneer has added 130,000 sq. Among other efforts, Kemin extracts antioxidants from rosemary and an agent in potatoes, which produces a dietary sense of fullness. Va. Missouri is trying to build its biotechnology and life sciences cluster through a non-commercial Web site created by the state's Dept. of Economic Development. The aim is to create the kind of collegial atmosphere on the Web that builds the communications and relationships that are crucial to the growth of the industry.
Companies can use the site to get to know one another, to exchange ideas and even to buy and sell.
The Show Me state is counting on a number of emergent projects and institutions to fuel biotechnology growth. The Washington University School of Medicine is one of three U.S. centers in addition to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, which is sequencing 60 percent of the human genome with funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute. Researchers at St. Louis University are leading a national effort to find an AIDS vaccine. Even the Missouri Botanical garden, with its active research program in tropical botany, should contribute to interest among biotechnology companies. The Roanoke Valley of Virginia is positioning itself as a biotechnology center, boasting that the world's first cloned pig, Genie, was born at Virginia Tech.