Our Mission

FEED THE HUNGRY

One example: Cassava fortification

In an effort to eradicate malnutrition throughout the developing world, scientists at the Danforth Center are working to create low-cost, nutritionally complete foods. These foods will incorporate crops that are protein and micronutrient rich, disease / pest-resistant, and that can be disseminated to smallholder farmers free of charge. The Center received funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct research as part of BioCassava Plus, an international research initiative that is working to make cassava a more nutritionally rich and balanced crop. Cassava is an appealing plant to work with as it has high productivity levels, is an excellent energy source, and is able to withstand a variety of non-ideal environmental conditions. Cassava feeds an estimated 750 million people each day, but it has very low nutritional content. It is also susceptible to many pathogens, particularly in Africa, where one third of the continental harvest is lost each year due to viral diseases. Scientists at the Danforth Center are seeking to fortify cassava with protein and vitamins, make it resistant to prevalent diseases, and allow farmers to become sustainable, independent cassava producers.

PRESERVE & RENEW OUR ENVIRONMENT

One example: Algae to oil

The Danforth Center, in its quest to discover renewable, clean sources of energy, has quickly become a world leader in algal biofuel research. Algae have significant potential as a clean, renewable and economical fuel source. Algal oil yields biodiesel fuel that is a much more energy dense (compared with ethanol), while requiring less land and water than other biodiesel sources. Center scientists are attempting strategies to increase algae’s oil content as well as its photosynthetic efficiency. Other approaches include the ‘milking’ of oil from algae without destroying it in the process. Dr. Tom Brutnell heads the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, where he and his team of researchers are focusing on using algae to produce “third generation” biofuels that someday could be used on a large scale to power cars, trucks and aircraft, all while utilizing our current energy infrastructure.

ENHANCE THE ST LOUIS REGION

One example: BioResearch & Development Growth (BRDG) Park

Several years ago the Center set aside eight acres of its campus in the hopes of finding a developer that would build commercial wet lab space for small companies and for related plant science activities. Wexford Science +Technology LLC, a privately held real estate developer and investment company specializing in major university facilities and science research parks nationwide ended up being the perfect fit. With its collocation on our campus, BRDG Park provides emerging life science and clean-tech start-ups with the tools and facilities they need to increase their chances of success, offering them interactions between top scientists as well as access to state-of-the-art core facilities. The Park also host St. Louis Community College’s tech training program, which teaches the next generation of lab technicians in a real world, scientific environment.