Wednesday, August 9, 2006

ST. LOUIS, MO – U.S. Senator Kit Bond today addressed the Missouri Biotechnology Association and the Biotechnology Industry Organization Forum in St. Louis where he stressed the importance of biotechnology to the nation and Missouri’s future.

“I am not a scientist or a business owner. But I am a policymaker, and I have a huge interest in biotechnology from the standpoint of solving health care problems, hunger problems, and creating good jobs for the citizens of this state,” said Bond.

Joined by U.S. Senator Jim Talent, leading scientists, and business owners at today’s forum, Bond praised Missouri for being home to many of the pioneers of exploration in biotechnology. First convinced by Missouri’s corn growers and soybean producers of the promise of biotechnology, Bond said that biotechnology was not only the key to improving farm incomes and the rural economy, but in revolutionizing the world in the same way the steam engine revolutionized industry, and the computer revolutionized the sharing of information.

Biotechnology has possibilities for improving human health, the environment, and enhancing agricultural production around the world, Bond emphasized. Already, hundreds of millions of people worldwide have been helped by biotechnology drugs and vaccines. Many more drugs and vaccines are being tested -- biotechnology companies have more than 300 drug products and vaccines addressing some 200 diseases in clinical trials. Also, biotechnology is now bringing hope to farmers in the developing world by providing crops that are more tolerant of drought and more resistant to insects and weeds.

Bond stressed that biotechnology, perhaps more than any other industry, can create economic growth in Missouri. Proof of this growth potential is already evident, said Bond. The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, the Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri, Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City all conduct top-notch research while creating high-paying jobs for Missourians.

As Missouri’s senior Senator and biotechnology’s champion in Congress, Bond said he will continue to advocate for pro-biotech policies, including helping to provide access to capital, expanding trade opportunities, and continuing a sane regulatory climate for biotechnology to expand.

Last month, Bond succeeded in clearing an important hurdle in his efforts to restore access for biotech companies to critical Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grants. Bond’s amendment to the Small Business Reauthorization Act passed the Senate Small Business Committee and will now be considered by the full Senate.

Since he served as the state's Governor, Bond has been a strong supporter of expanding the biotechnology and life sciences industry in Missouri. In the Senate Bond has earmarked over $450 million for plant genomics. He has secured $31 million for the Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia and millions for facilities in Kansas City, St. Louis and the Bootheel, including the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Missouri Botanical Garden and the University of Missouri Greenhouse.

In addition to the federal funding, Bond has also been a strong voice on behalf of the revolution both in the United States and abroad. Just this past spring, Bond attended a meeting in India of the Tripartite Project in Agricultural Biotechnology where three countries – U.S., India and Pakistan - have agreed to collaborate on a 10-year research project on crop production, funded primarily by India and Pakistan.

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