Monsanto to open lab at Research Campus

Dr. Susan MacIsaac will run the Monsanto lab at the N.C. Research Campus. Photo by Emily Ford

Dr. Michael Luther, president of the Murdock Research Institute, discusses the capabilities of the proteomics lab with Dr. Robb Fraley of Monsanto, Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC) and David Murdock, founder of the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis. Photo by Emily Ford

Dr. Robb Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto, answers questions from the media about Monsanto moving to the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis. Research Campus founder David Murdock and Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC) stand with Fraley in the proteomics lab, which helped attract the largest seed producer in the world. Photo by Emily Ford

David Murdock, founder of the N.C. Research Campus, announces Thursday that Monsanto Company will join the biotechnology complex in Kannapolis to develop more nutritious vegetables. Photo by Emily Ford

David Murdock, founder of the N.C. Research Campus, points to Dr. Robb Fraley of Monsanto after announcing that the company will try to develop better-tasting vegetables in Kannapolis. Photo by Emily Ford

By Emily Ford

eford@saliburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — Monsanto Co., best known for the agricultural herbicide Roundup, will join the N.C. Research Campus this summer to develop better-tasting and more nutritious fruits and vegetables.

The St. Louis-based company announced Thursday it will open a 9,000-square-foot laboratory and office in June with 10 to 12 employees and two or three visiting Monsanto scientists each year.

Monsanto's move to Kannapolis could entice other companies to join the biotechnology hub, officials said.

The $1.5 billion campus lost two major tenants last year when Pharmaceutical Product Development left, citing slow development of the campus, and Pepsico pulled out of a much-publicized agreement to open a 4,000-square-foot research and development lab.

"With our presence here, some of those companies may reconsider and return," said Dr. Robb Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto.

Monsanto has signed a long-term lease.

Campus founder and Dole Food Co. owner David Murdock would not name specific companies he's courting but said development of the campus is moving faster than he anticipated a few months ago.

"Things are changing quickly," Murdock said.

He said he's talking with a number of companies that were "very close" to coming to Kannapolis but backed off when the recession hit.

Murdock said he still is committed to constructing the large medical office building that fell behind schedule and caused the departure of Pharmaceutical Product Development.

During a news conference in the proteomics laboratory, one of several state-of-the-art facilities that helped seal the Monsanto deal, Murdock said he doesn't like the term "genetically modified."

Monsanto is the world's largest producer of genetically modified crops.

Later, Fraley said he agreed with Murdock's aversion to the term.

While Fraley acknowledged that Monsanto will manipulate plant genes in Kannapolis, he said the company also will engage in traditional plant breeding techniques aided by cutting-edge equipment in the Core Lab, which allows scientists to study molecules in more detail than ever before.

"You can understand the plant at a more precise level," he said. "Once you have that information, you can breed more effectively."

He estimated that consumers would see results from Monsanto's efforts in Kannapolis in seven or eight years, including products like better-tasting broccoli and lettuce with higher nutritional content.

Monsanto already has a longstanding relationship with N.C. State University, one of eight universities researching health, nutrition and agriculture in Kannapolis.

Monsanto helped N.C. State develop the largest and best plant breeding program in the country, said Dr. Steve Leath, formerly of N.C. State and now the vice president for research for the University of North Carolina system.

"They get their great science into the hands of consumers very effectively, something we haven't done well," Leath said.

Monsanto is the largest producer of seed in the world.

UNC will learn from Monsanto's commercial success and become "far less restrictive" with intellectual property, Leath said.

Leath said he wants to make UNC the easiest university system in the country for business partnerships.

With the addition of the Kannapolis site, Monsanto will employ about 100 people in North Carolina, Fraley said. The company also has a presence in Research Triangle Park and several growing fields, he said.

While the company is known for developing higher-yield row crops like corn and soybeans, Monsanto several years ago began focusing on vegetables like lettuce and peppers, trying to make them healthier and better tasting.

"There are a lot of cool things we've been working on," said Fraley, a molecular biologist.

The company is developing new varieties of broccoli, tomatoes and onions, as well as a soybean that produces an oil similar to olive oil, he said.

Last year Monsanto announced a five-year collaboration with Dole Food to develop vegetable varieties with consumer-focused attributes such as flavor, texture, aroma and nutrition.

"We want to be a partner, and a good partner," Fraley said. "We want to be a part of the community and a part of the social fabric of Kannapolis."

The international company eventually could employ hundreds of people in Kannapolis, a spokesperson for the campus said Wednesday.