The Cutting Edge

AN R&D POWERHOUSE

One of the greatest reservoirs of intellectual capital in Peoria is the USDA-ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR Ag Lab), internationally renowned for its bioscience innovations. More than 250 research personnel from nearly a dozen scientific disciplines are charged with creating ideas, knowledge and solutions for high-priority national research problems.

Bioenergy research continues to be one such priority for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Peoria’s NCAUR is a leader in the Bioenergy and Energy Alternatives National Program, along with regional research centers located in California and Pennsylvania. A significant strength of the bioenergy program is the range of industry stakeholders, with university, state and federal partners.

One NCAUR research team specializes in using bacteria, yeasts and other microorganisms to ferment grain sugars and other agricultural materials into fuel ethanol. A Washington University research team is investigating microbial fuel cell systems to produce electricity or hydrogen fuel. These individual teams have pooled their labs’ resources and expertise to undertake a cooperative project to convert sugars in agricultural materials into electricity or hydrogen. One resource they’ll share is the Peoria-based ARS Microbial Culture Collection, which houses about 87,000 accessions of freeze-dried microbes from around the world.

Another resource unique to NCAUR is an automated molecular biology robot. The system was developed by an NCAUR molecular biologist and his Peoria colleagues, with an engineering team at Hudson Control Group, Inc., of Springfield, New Jersey. The system’s inventors expect it will greatly streamline studies aimed at harnessing the power of proteins for industrial applications, such as making fuel ethanol from sugars in corn fiber.

Supercritical fluid technology—which uses carbon dioxide to extract, fractionate and purify a wide array of materials—is not new. However, a research team at NCAUR is evaluating a new use of this technology as a potential pretreatment to convert lignocellulosic biomass, such as switchgrass and corn stover to fermentable sugars for ethanol production.

These NCAUR projects will be among nearly two dozen to be highlighted during the ARS Showcase of Bioenergy Research planned for the summer of 2008. The showcase, to be held at NCAUR, will feature bioenergy-related projects from research locations within the eight states of the ARS Midwest Area, along with representation from the Eastern and Western ARS Regional Research Centers.

The development of alternative renewable energy sources remains a leading topic of national interest, and NCAUR and the ARS program remain leaders in the bioenergy research arena.

A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR INNOVATION

Peoria NEXT is a consortium of local universities, hospitals, businesses and research institutions that invests in new science- and technology-based start-up businesses in the region. This unique collaboration aims to ensure Peoria’s place as a preferred location for research, development and commercialization of science and technology in the areas of agriculture, engineering, bio-engineering and medicine. More than 200 start-up companies have gone through Peoria NEXT.

Located on Main Street in Renaissance Park, the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center opened last summer. As a technology incubator, the Center provides a place for entrepreneurs and technologists to commercialize innovative ideas into successful businesses. Numerous companies share its resources, which include wet and dry labs, shared business services and an advanced communications network. See page 26 for more on the Innovation Center.

Peoria NEXT has also founded numerous Centers for Excellence, which are directed by members of the community and will drive research in specific areas of technology commercialization. The Peoria NEXT Center for Excellence in Robotics was recently awarded a multi-million dollar Department of Defense grant to fund its research.

Peoria NEXT really is a “one-stop shop” when it comes to providing businesses with access to development and support services. From management and marketing to human resources and customer development—all the issues facing businesses and entrepreneurs can be addressed by a network of experienced professionals just a phone call away.

PIONEERING ENERGY SOLUTIONS

One of Peoria NEXT’s greatest success stories is that of Firefly Energy, Inc., a technology firm developing next-generation lead-acid battery technologies with the potential to revolutionize this $16 billion worldwide market. Based on an innovation discovered at Caterpillar, Firefly was the first spin-off project through Peoria NEXT. This up-and-coming company won the Frost & Sullivan 2006 Technology Innovation Award, was named one of the top 200 private technology companies in North America in 2006 and was a co-winner in the energy category in 2007’s The Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards.

Firefly is currently developing its battery technology for its first customer, the Swedish company Husqvarna. In addition, the company recently landed a contract with the U.S. Army and is slated to begin shipping prototypes for testing by mid-2008. Firefly also announced plans to expand into the trucking market, where its battery technologies will help achieve compliance with new anti-pollution regulations.

With an abundance of corn and soybeans, our region is quickly becoming a central location for the development of ethanol and biodiesel technologies. With minimal transportation costs and easy access to river barges, many companies are realizing the benefit of locating their ethanol projects right here in central Illinois. And experienced companies, like Aventine Renewable Energy, are taking advantage of this green revolution. The Pekin-based company is currently undergoing a $400 million expansion project to increase its production capacity from 100 million to 157 million gallons a year.

Numerous wind farm projects are sprouting up throughout central Illinois. While rural areas have long been the destination of these towering structures, one local company plans to begin selling wind generators that can be placed on urban and suburban houses as well. Until recently, the sheer size and noise produced by the turbines have kept wind generators out of every city’s limits. But Peoria’s smartenergy LTD aims to change that with a smaller, quiet, residential-friendly version that will supplement the power you already receive through the electric company.

As energy costs continue to rise and we become more aware of our impact on the environment, the demand for green and renewable technologies will grow. Here in central Illinois, we will continue to work to produce cost-effective, environmentally friendly solutions to meet the world’s energy needs.

STARTING UP, SPINNING OFF

The Peoria area boasts a number of promising companies in the early stages of development. Another Caterpillar spin-off, Akoya, Inc. has developed unique analytical software that recognizes cost-reduction opportunities in a design configuration. iSoy Technologies Corp. was established in 2004 to develop, manufacture and market a new class of natural sun care, skin care and anti-aging products utilizing another NCAUR product, SoyScreen™.

InformMed produces a unique hand-held device linking hospital drug data with nurses at the bedside to ensure correct dosages. Local security firm The Kern Group, Inc. has developed a new device which provides enhanced interior vehicle security and the delivery of advertising and information for public transit. Another promising start-up in its initial phases, Mercury Sports Group, Inc. has plans to revolutionize the sports industry with its products, which utilize advanced Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies.

One of Caterpillar’s most successful spin-offs is Advanced Technology Services (ATS). Since its 1985 formation, ATS has become a leader in managed production equipment maintenance and innovative IT solutions for top Fortune 500 companies, winning numerous awards, including recognition as one of the world’s top 100 outsourcing service providers for two years in a row. With a new office in Mexico and one planned for the U.K., ATS is becoming an international company.

GROUNDBREAKING HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Researchers at The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP) utilize state and federal grants to conduct groundbreaking studies for treating strokes, cancer,spinal cord injuries, cardiovascular disease, exposure to biological and chemical agents, and more. In addition to the potential medical and scientific benefits, this ongoing research has a significant economic impact by creating employment opportunities in the community.

On July 31, 2007, UICOMP announced plans to begin construction of a 20,000-square-foot cancer research facility on its campus in downtown Peoria. The expansion project is a collaboration among the University of Illinois, Caterpillar, Inc., OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Methodist Medical Center, various federal, state and local government entities and private donors. Part of UICOMP’s vision to further develop state-of-the-art research facilities in Peoria, the proposed research center will be dedicated to the study of molecular, cellular and genetic characteristics involved in many cancers, with an emphasis on regulating invasion, migration, blood vessel formation and tumor growth.

The Institutional Review Board (IRB), which oversees all internal studies involving human subjects, is an essential part of UICOMP’s research process. The IRB is in place to review all biomedical research in accordance with Food and Drug Administration and Office for Protection from Research Risks regulations. The organization also develops vital community education programs to protect the interests of patients and foster increased awareness of local research activities.

The College of Medicine’s Donald E. Rager, M.D. Clinical Skills Laboratory is a state-of-the-art medical training and simulation resource that is available to all area healthcare educators and providers, including hospitals, community colleges, emergency medical services, fire departments and nursing homes. UICOMP’s Library of Health Sciences is open to the general public and provides a comprehensive collection of resources and services in support of medical education, research and practice. PP