Goggles that can see cancer cells the naked eye cannot. Lasers that extract proteins from tumors to develop personalized cancer medicine. A camera that captures up to 100 billion frames per second to detect precancerous cells. That’s just a sampling of technology developed in St. Louis in the battle against cancer.
St. Louis made a name for itself internationally in the fight against cancer in 2008 when Washington University scientists decoded the complete DNA of a cancer patient and traced the disease to its genetic roots. More innovations have followed from research labs at Washington University and Saint Louis University, which also have spun out dozens of cancer-focused startups.
Since 2010, organizations in the St. Louis area have been awarded nearly $300 million in grants from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), the largest funder of cancer research in the world. The lion’s share of that money was given to Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center, which have been awarded more than $264.84 million in grant dollars from the NCI during that time period — a figure higher than most states can boast.
General Electric agreed to acquire Dresser, a maker of energy-infrastructure products, for $3 billion from investors led by private-equity firms Riverstone Holdings and the Carlyle Group. More ... Read More
The Boeing Co. said Tuesday it won a new multi-year procurement contract totaling nearly $5.3 billion from the U.S. Navy for 124 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. More ... Read More
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis said Wednesday it and four other partner schools snagged $18 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to research therapies and ... Read More
LaBarge Inc. said Wednesday it won a $1 million contract from Lord Corp. to produce electronic assemblies for military and civilian helicopters. More ... Read More
The carmakers said they will begin technical development of electric versions of the Peugeot Partner combi-van and the Citroen Berlingo, with the aim of beginning production by the end of 2012. ... Read More
Market for sensors expected to grow 14% annually through 2014, according to report. More ... Read More
Southwest Airlines, the biggest discount airline in the United States, on Monday said it had agreed to acquire AirTran Airways for $1.37 billion in cash and stock More ... Read More
Consumer products maker Unilever N.V. said Monday it has agreed to buy Melrose Park-based Alberto Culver Co., which makes beauty products such as TRESemme, VO5 and Noxzema, for $3.7 billion in ... Read More
St. Louis has been awarded a $1 million two-year federal grant— one of six grants handed out nationwide — for life science start-ups. The grant winner is a regional collaboration, brought ... Read More
Valent Aerostructures broke ground Monday on a $15 million to $20 million plant in Washington, Mo., that will add 100 jobs and retain 120 existing ones. The state of Missouri awarded ... Read More