Valent BioSciences announces significant R&D investments

Date:08-17-2022

To promote its industry leadership in biorational and biostimulant product innovation, Valent BioSciences LLC has announced significant investments at several of its key research and development facilities. These enhancements are in addition to the recently announced expansion of the company’s manufacturing facility in Osage, Iowa.

A major expansion is planned for the Biorational Research Center in Libertyville, Illinois. Driven by business growth in synthetic biology, biostimulants, fermentation, and downstream processing, the facility, opened only four years ago, will be expanded significantly. The improvements will include new laboratory and pilot plant areas, office and meeting space, and an additional greenhouse.

Valent BioSciences subsidiary Mycorrhizal Applications LLC has announced an expansion of its research facilities at the Bio Research & Development Growth Park at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The enhancements will provide increased laboratory capacity for in vitro research related to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, as well as additional office and meeting space. Mycorrhizal Applications is also expanding the lab space at its headquarters in Grants Pass, Oregon, in order to increase overall research capacity. This expansion will allow the company to conduct in-depth research on new uses for mycorrhizae.

Additionally, in late 2020, the company established a dedicated Biorational Unit at parent company Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.’s Health & Crop Sciences Research Laboratory in Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan. The collaboration enables Valent BioSciences to broaden its biorational research programs and activities, as well as launch various synthetic biology projects that will spark new opportunities in this burgeoning field.

″Sumitomo Chemical is committed to the biorational and biostimulant business as a part of Sumitomo Chemical’s global strategy,″ said Dr. Warren Shafer, Vice President, Global R&D and Regulatory Affairs at Valent BioSciences. ″Valent BioSciences and Mycorrhizal Applications, fully owned member companies, are excited about contributing to sustainable innovation through these expansions. This enhanced research capacity will accelerate the creation of next-generation innovations in the biorational industry. We look forward to continuing to develop industry-leading innovations for our customers around the world.″

Earlier this year, Valent BioSciences announced it is undertaking a major expansion at its Osage, Iowa, manufacturing facility. The additions include new production-scale fermentation and recovery equipment, a new pilot plant facility, and expanded laboratory space. The company is also restoring 34 acres of native prairie land adjacent to the Osage facility that will sequester approximately 170 tons of carbon dioxide annually, helping mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases in the environment. In addition, a 1.5-megawatt alternating current (AC) solar field being constructed on land adjacent to the prairie will provide approximately 8% of the Osage facility’s total annual electricity usage.