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Biofuel made from pennycress seeds, “could end up in your tank, if you drive a diesel powered car or truck,” said Jerry Steiner, the chief executive of the two-year-old plant science startup Arvegenix. “We clearly could also make jet fuel, and provide the feedstock for some bio-based lubricants as well.” That’s why some U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers have been touting pennycress as it champions new biofuel choices.

But for that to happen, pennycress must first be domesticated. That is, turned into a viable commodity crop for farmers. And that, said Steiner, “is what we aim to do.”

Launched in May of 2013, Arvegenix is focusing on the development, genetic improvement and commercialization of field pennycress. Earlier this year, Arvegenix received a boost when it earned a $100,000 equity investment from The Yield Lab, a new St. Louis-based agriculture technology accelerator program.

[St. Louis Business Journal]

Venture capital investment jumps in Missouri, but numbers decline in Kansas

  • October 20, 2011

Investments in startups by venture capitalists increased in Missouri in the third quarter but declined in Kansas, the Kansas City Business Journal reports. Venture capitalists signed five deals for a total of $92.1 million in the third quarter, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture Capital Association. That compared with three deals worth $7.7 million during the second quarter. ... Read More

Abbott Labs to split into 2 companies

  • October 19, 2011

Abbott Laboratories is spinning off its branded drug business and will become two separate medical companies, the Chicago Tribune reports. The spinoff will exclusively sell Abbott's branded pharmaceuticals. Abbott CEO Miles White will continue to lead the rest of the medical device company. ... Read More

Danforth Center gets $5.5 million to develop camelina plant as oil alternative

  • October 11, 2011

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center said today it won a $5.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the oilseed plant camelina as a sustainable source of biofuel and an alternative to oil. Investigators at the Danforth Center’s Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels will work to develop an enhanced variety of camelina that produces more oil per acre. ... Read More

The business of cooling the planet

  • October 07, 2011

Climate scientists and their billionaire backers, like Bill Gates, are trying to turn down the global thermostat – and make money doing it. Lately another approach to cooling the planet, with ... Read More

Cerner will buy Clairvia

  • October 07, 2011

Cerner Corp. has agreed to buy Clairvia Inc., a North Carolina company whose software helps health care organizations coordinate staffing, the Kansas City Business Journal reports. Cerner, a health care technology company based in North Kansas City, said the purchase of Clairvia should close in October. ... Read More

Solutia to buy Southwall Technologies for $113 million

  • October 07, 2011

Solutia Inc. said today it will buy Southwall Technologies Inc., which makes films and glass products for automotive, electronic and architectural markets, including screens for smartphones and e-readers, for $113 million. The deal to acquire Palo Alto, Calif.-based Southwall for $13.60 per share of Southwall common stock will be funded by Solutia from existing cash on hand, the St. Louis-based company said. ... Read More

Kirksville osteopathic college plans a dental school

  • October 05, 2011

A northern Missouri college of osteopathic medicine has approved a $26 million bond issue to build a dental school. A.T. Still University of Health Sciences said that its board of trustees ... Read More

Boeing lands $11.7 billion C-17 support deal

  • October 05, 2011

The Department of Defense awarded a contract worth up to $11.7 billion to Boeing for support and maintenance of its C-17 aircraft to the U.S. military and global allies, the St. Louis Business Journal reports. Boeing's defense unit, which builds the C-17, is based in St. Louis. ... Read More

Columbia hopes to become solar leader

  • October 03, 2011

A city official said last week that when a project to install 12 acres’ worth of solar panels in Columbia is complete, the city could become a leading community in the ... Read More

Missouri education gets good grades in national report

  • September 30, 2011

Missouri’s report card doesn’t look too bad. The U.S. Department of Education’s State of the States in Education report shows 83 percent of high school students are graduating, well above the ... Read More