Nidus Center begins germination today
Virginia Baldwin Gilbert Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Jihong Zhang, a research assistant, working in a virology lab at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. (Larry Williams/P-D)

Just in time for spring planting, the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise is holding its grand opening today as a business incubator for biotechnology companies.

And just as you have to wait for seeds to germinate, grow and bear fruit, the region must be patient before seeing businesses grow large enough to be transplanted from Nidus and to reap financial success, the center's director says.

"The gestation period is much longer" for biotech companies than for information technology companies like those in Silicon Valley, says Robert Calcaterra, Nidus Center director.

The effect of the center on the growing companies and the region as a whole "won't be visible until five, maybe 10 years out," Calcaterra said. "That has partly to do with the field we're in -- companies could take seven or eight years before their product comes to market."

Nidus was created and funded by Monsanto Co. -- now merged into Pharmacia Corp. of Peapack, N.J. -- to provide a nurturing environment for entrepreneurs wanting to take biotechnology from the research lab to the market. The merger has not affected the corporation's commitment to the center, company officials say.

The $10 million Nidus building was completed late last year off Warson Road on the east side of Monsanto's headquarters complex. The staff and first tenants moved in in mid-December.

The first tenants are temporary -- scientists bound for the William Danforth Plant Science Center being built across Olive Boulevard. The Danforth Center is expected to be completed late next year.

The rest of the 20 or so labs in the Nidus Center stand empty, waiting for the seedling companies to grow large enough to have employees to do research. Three startups have been selected as tenants so far: Colliant LLC, GenChemiCs LLC and Libratto.com Inc.

Colliant founder Dave Duncan moved in about a month ago as his company's only employee. He works in a small office on the second floor of Nidus. There, he is trying to get that first licensing deal that will bring investors on board, allow him to hire about five people -- already hand-picked -- and get started in his business.

Duncan, 51, worked for Monsanto for 22 years before taking early retirement last year. His last title was director of the global forestry group.

Research on improving crops other than Monsanto's core business of corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton was "sitting on the shelf," Duncan said.

"A lot of other crops could be helped - forests for paper, pulp and timber; sugar cane; coffee and citrus," he said.

Take forests, for instance. "We're looking at growing trees like rows of corn," Duncan said. "If you produce more, while confined to a limited area, you can stop the encroachment of natural forests."

In addition, Duncan plans to use his experience, and that of his future employees, in a consulting business to help other companies with what he calls regulatory science. That is, the science needed to get a product approved by regulatory agencies.

Today Duncan will present a poster session of his plans to the 100 or so visitors from industry, universities and government agencies invited to tour the new facility.

Being at Nidus "means I'm elbow to elbow with business startup experts," Duncan said.

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Nidus Center requirements

Robert Calcaterra, director of the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, says a biotechnology company wishing to join the center must:

* Have a complete management team or be willing to accept one put together for it by a Nidus advisory group.

* Have a product or idea with real market value, as determined by independent market research.

* Be protectable through patents or trade secret law.

* Be able to attract investors willing to put enough money in to make the venture successful.

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