text: Monsanto Co. said Tuesday it entered into an agreement for a multi-year collaboration with Sapphire Energy Inc. to leverage Sapphire’s algae research to discover genes that could be applied to agriculture.
  Under the agreement, Creve Coeur-based Monsanto, led by Chairman, President and CEO Hugh Grant, and San Diego-based Sapphire, led by CEO Jason Pyle, will collaborate on algae-based research projects, and Monsanto will make an equity investment in Sapphire. Financial terms were not disclosed. Sapphire Energy applies synthetic biology to produce drop-in replacement fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from algae.