St. Louis, Missouri (May 4, 2004) - Divergence Inc. has received $160,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the company said Tuesday.

The two Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grants provide funding for testing and developing to protect plants from nematodes, roundworms that cause billions of dollars of damage a year to crops and can cause disease in animals and humans.

"We believe that products from these projects could one day provide safe and effective ways to prevent or control parasitic disease in a wide range of markets," said Dr. James McCarter, president and chief scientific officer of Divergence, in a statement.

St. Louis-based Divergence develops and researches methods to control parasites and other pests, particularly parasitic nematodes.

RELEASE: ©2004 St. Louis Business Journal