Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Encyclopedia
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit scientific facility located in St. Louis, Missouri
, United States
. Its main mission point is to "improve the human condition through plant science".
Founded in 1998 by William Henry Danforth, M.D., a cardiologist and the brother of former U.S. Senator and Episcopal priest John Danforth
, the Center is the product of an alliance joining the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, the Missouri Botanical Garden
, the University of Missouri
in Columbia, Missouri
, Monsanto Company, Purdue University
, and Washington University in St. Louis
.
, Ph.D. was named the founding president of the Center in January 1999.
In October 2009, Dr. Beachy stepped down as president of the Center to join the Obama administration as the first director of the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture
. He is currently still serving as vice chair of the Center's board of trustees under Dr. Danforth. Dr. Philip Needleman, former senior vice president at Monsanto, served as the acting President until the appointment of Dr. James C. Carrington, 50, the former Director of the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing at Oregon State University
. According to the online edition of the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, the extensive search involved seven firms, 18 top plant scientists, and a year of scouting. The center has a $20 million annual operating budget and 200 employees.
The Danforth Center is home to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, the Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems, and the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology.
In June 2009 the first building of the new Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park opened on the Danforth Center campus.
Progress has been made in fortifying plants with folic acid
.
Danforth Center scientists are studying abscisic acid
, which plays an important part in plant responses to environmental stress and plant pathogens.
Research has identified transporter proteins in the Arabidopsis thaliana
plant model system.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its main mission point is to "improve the human condition through plant science".
Founded in 1998 by William Henry Danforth, M.D., a cardiologist and the brother of former U.S. Senator and Episcopal priest John Danforth
John Danforth
John Claggett "Jack" Danforth is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican United States Senator from Missouri. He is an ordained Episcopal priest. Danforth is married to Sally D. Danforth and has five adult children.-Education and early career:Danforth was born...
, the Center is the product of an alliance joining the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, the Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder Henry Shaw, a botanist and philanthropist.-History:...
, the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, Monsanto Company, Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, and Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
.
History
Established in 1998, the Danforth Center building opened in October 2001 and houses equipment for protein crystallography, proteomics and mass spectrometry, microscopy and imaging of live cells, cell and tissue culture, and for control and maintenance of plants. Dr. Roger N. BeachyRoger N. Beachy
Roger N. Beachy is an American biologist and the founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri.- Birth, family and education :...
, Ph.D. was named the founding president of the Center in January 1999.
In October 2009, Dr. Beachy stepped down as president of the Center to join the Obama administration as the first director of the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is a U.S. Federal government body whose creation was mandated in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. It is intended to consolidate all federally-funded agricultural research, and will be subordinate to the Department of Agriculture...
. He is currently still serving as vice chair of the Center's board of trustees under Dr. Danforth. Dr. Philip Needleman, former senior vice president at Monsanto, served as the acting President until the appointment of Dr. James C. Carrington, 50, the former Director of the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing at Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
. According to the online edition of the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, the extensive search involved seven firms, 18 top plant scientists, and a year of scouting. The center has a $20 million annual operating budget and 200 employees.
The Danforth Center is home to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, the Center for Advanced Biofuel Systems, and the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology.
In June 2009 the first building of the new Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park opened on the Danforth Center campus.
Ongoing Research
Research at the Center is organized around four focal areas:- Developing new materials and products in plants
- Enriching the nutritional value of foods
- Adapting plants for environmental stresses
- Controlling plant pests and pathogens
Progress has been made in fortifying plants with folic acid
Folic acid
Folic acid and folate , as well as pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, pteroyl-L-glutamate, and pteroylmonoglutamic acid are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B9...
.
Danforth Center scientists are studying abscisic acid
Abscisic acid
Abscisic acid , also known as abscisin II and dormin, is a plant hormone. ABA functions in many plant developmental processes, including bud dormancy. It is degraded by the enzyme -abscisic acid 8'-hydroxylase.-Function:...
, which plays an important part in plant responses to environmental stress and plant pathogens.
Research has identified transporter proteins in the Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant native to Europe, Asia, and northwestern Africa. A spring annual with a relatively short life cycle, arabidopsis is popular as a model organism in plant biology and genetics...
plant model system.