PLA (Polylactic Acid)
Lactech was initially a joint venture between Cargill, Inc. and MBI. Engineering, scale-up and applications research for production of lactic acid and PLA biodegradable plastics technology were conducted at MBI and MSU with collaboration and support of Cargill Inc., one of the world's largest agribusinesses.

This biodegradable polymer is broadly in use around the world in both plastics and fibers in clothing and carpets, containers for food and garbage bags, car parts, etc.

"MBI played an important role in assisting in the research and development that demonstrated the technical and commercial feasibility of the technology. Cargill selected MBI to help in the development of the initial technology because of its unique capabilities and facilities.

MBI is one of the only facilities that could effectively develop this new technology. It formed a joint venture with Cargill and carried out a detailed development role in bringing this technology to the point where Cargill felt justified in investing in continued development."

— James Stoppert, former President & CEO, Cargill Dow LLC

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Synthon
Synthon Corporation developed an innovative process to produce 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, a critical intermediate for the blockbuster cholesterol-lowering statin drug, Crestor. Early research was licensed from Michigan State University for development at MBI. This early success led to the acquisition of Synthon's technology by Avecia.

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Evercorn
Evercorn, Inc. was a successful joint venture between an MBI subsidiary and Japan Corn Starch (one of Japan's leading starch-based industrial products company) to develop a family of polymer resins that are processed into films and moldable products for disposable use applications. These polymers are strong, water-resistant thermoplastics. These product applications are used in disposable cutlery, plastic containers, and paper coatings. Evercorn's biodegradable products were featured at the Nagano Olympic Games.

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GENE-TRAK
GENE-TRAK, Inc. worked with MBI to develop a reliable bacterial fermentation process to produce a protein used in amplification of an RNA probe. Previous fermentation runs had proven to be unreliable.

MBI was contracted for scale-up, and successfully delivered a fermentation and recovery process at 500-liter scale within six-months. This development allowed GENE-TRAK to commercialize their product effectively.

"MBI's commitment to the development and production of our product is exemplary. Recently, we had an immediate need for more product to support some internal initiatives. I had the protein in my laboratory within two weeks of a simple phone call."

— Dr. Mark Moody, GENE-TRAK

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