St. Louis, Missouri
April 17, 2009
In the past year, St. Louis
biotech firm Divergence,
Inc. has received more than $1.2 million in research grants,
including a $500,000 grant just awarded from the National
Science Foundation (NSF) to further the company's work on
biotech traits for lesion nematode control in crops such as
corn. The Phase II grant, "Control of Lesion Nematodes by RNA
Interference," is part of NSF's Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) program.
Nematodes are the largest unsolved pest problem in agriculture,
limiting the yield of crops worldwide and causing billions of
dollars in crop damage annually. Lesion nematodes are prevalent
in the Corn Belt and appear to be increasing with changing
agronomic practices. Divergence, a world leader in developing
products for control of parasites in agriculture and medicine,
has discovered nematicidal chemistry working through a novel
mode of action and is also working on biotechnology-derived
crops with built-in pest resistance.
The company's Phase I research demonstrated that RNA
interference (RNAi) can substantially reduce lesion nematode
reproduction resulting in a larger, healthier root system for a
plant. The Phase II grant will allow Divergence to expand
greenhouse testing in crops including corn. RNAi is a
fundamental mechanism of gene regulation triggered by
double-stranded RNA. Divergence was an early industrial adopter
of RNAi, working with the research platform since the company's
inception in 1999. Dr. Craig Mello, a member of Divergence's
Scientific Advisory Board since 2000, was the co-recipient of
the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery
of RNAi.
"Our project's findings could lead to corn yield increases in
the field as well as improvement in the ability of corn to
tolerate drought conditions," said Dr. James McCarter,
Divergence founder, president and chief scientific officer.
"These pests are unseen to the naked eye and cause far more
damage than is generally recognized. We're very pleased to have
this funding support which will allow us to accelerate the
project."
Other recent SBIR grants to Divergence include support from the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA):
- Two $100,000 NIH Phase I
Grants for anthelmintic and antifungal drug discovery and a
$10,000 NIH Manufacturing Assistance Program Grant
- One USDA $350,000 Phase II
Grant and two USDA $80,000 Phase I Grants for control of
root knot nematodes and fungal infections in plants.
Additionally, the National Corn
Growers Association (NCGA) has provided research collaboration
funding to the company for each of the past seven years to help
support the association's research efforts toward a
biotechnology solution to nematodes in corn.
"NCGA recognizes the potential value this research could provide
our farmers in terms of new, safe approaches to control
nematodes that plague corn and other crops," said Dr. Richard
Glass, NCGA vice president of research and business development.
"We are always seeking solutions that allow corn growers to
produce a more abundant crop more profitably."
The company, which recently announced that it secured $11.8
million in Series C equity financing, is also working on
solutions for parasite control in animals and humans.
Divergence, Inc., a world leader in the application of
genomics and informatics to agriculture and infectious disease,
discovers and develops products for the safe and effective
control of parasites. The company's initial focus is on
parasitic nematodes, devastating unseen pests that cause
billions of dollars in crop loss annually and widespread disease
in humans and animals. For more information visit Divergence's
Web site at
www.divergence.com. |
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