Avera Research Institute
Hematech, Inc.
Monsanto Co.
Sanford Health
Avera Research Institute
Started in 1998 with one founding director and a part-time nurse, Avera Research Institute has grown into three divisions, eight PhDs and 50 plus employees. The Research Institute is divided into three basic areas: Basic, Applied and Clinical research.
There are three areas of focus in the institute’s Basic Research Division which include obesity-related kidney disease, neuroscience research in the area of stress-related sleep disorders, cocaine addiction and oncology research involving DNA repair for skin cancer.
The Applied Research is more entrepreneurial with the goal of developing products for commercialization. This division is now working to develop a medical adhesive which can either bind tissue to tissue or secure drugs to tissue.
The largest division is Clinical Research. There are usually 30 to 40 clinical trials being conducted in a wide variety of therapeutic areas, from dermatology, to oncology, to infectious disease to behavioral health. A major focus within this division is industry-sponsored clinical drug trials, which are either in Phase 2, 3 or 4 of the Food and Drug Administration approval process.
Phase 2 and 3 studies, which test dosage, efficacy and safety, are conducted by pharmaceutical companies prior to getting drugs approved by the FDA. Phase 4 studies come after FDA approval, sometimes looking at new indications for a drug or new dosage forms.
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Hematech, Inc.
Hematech, Inc was founded in 1998, with corporate headquarters in Sioux Falls, SD. Hematech is a subsidiary of Kirin Pharma Company, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. In 2002, Hematech and Kirin consolidated their transgenic bovine research programs in facilities in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, Hematech occupies nearly 20,000 sq. ft. of laboratory space in the Sioux Falls Technology Park.
In 2003, Hematech formed a joint venture with Trans Ova Genetics. Trans Ova is one of the world's largest bovine embryo transfer companies and has extensive experience in managing cloned and genetically modified cattle. The Hematech/Trans Ova Joint Venture was formed to manage all of Hematech's animal needs, including animal work at Hematech's Research and Development Center in Sioux Center, IA.
Currently, Hematech has four research and development programs: Molecular Genetics, Embryonic Cloning, Immunology and Purification Process Development. In addition, Hematech has Analytical and Quality Systems programs. Hematech's research programs are best known for their successes in producing the first transchromosomic and gene targeted cattle.
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Monsanto Co.
In the spring of 2007, Monsanto Co. built a 17,500-square-foot, $2 million building in Harrisburg, South Dakota to complement its current research facility in the Harrisburg Industrial Park. The company works in cooperation with soybean farmers across the state to breed several varieties of soybeans with higher yields.
Monsanto Co. is a large St. Louis based agricultural company with operations worldwide. They specialize in maximizing the production of seed for farmers – both in terms of yield and the technologies that are used to protect their crops. They currently produce seed brands of large-acre crops such as corn, cotton, soybeans, and canola, as well as some small-acre crops such as vegetables. The new facility in Harrisburg is a soybean breeding area while the previously existing facility is used for corn research.
Monsanto hopes to improve yields for farmers by reducing the amount of disease and devastating insects such as aphids that have hindered growers for years. Another goal of the Harrisburg facility is to produce crops with the Vistive variety which has linolenic acid to reduce the amount of trans fat in processed soybeans.
In the future, Monsanto will probably also research drought-tolerant soybeans in South Dakota which may result in a partnership with the state’s 2010 Research Center of Excellence for Drought Tolerance Biotechnology.
South Dakota is especially attractive to Monsanto for further expansion in the future considering the state’s acceptance of genetically modified crops. About 95 percent of soybeans produced in South Dakota in 2005 were genetically modified according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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Sanford Health
In February of 2007, the former Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was renamed Sanford Health after the extraordinarily generous gift of $400 million from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford. Mr. Sanford’s gift is the largest ever to a healthcare organization. This gift will help transform Sanford Health into a national leader in research and children’s healthcare. Sanford Health has identified four initiatives that encompass its mission.
