NCBiotech News

We work hard to bring you news about North Carolina’s wide-ranging life sciences community. Please feel free to share it with others. And let us know if you have something we should know about.

Elo Life Systems is a step closer to making the world a little sweeter.

Robbie King, a Ph.D. geochemist, was looking for a career change.

He considered taking chemistry courses at North Carolina State University. But he ended up at the school’s Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) instead.

King completed BTEC’s one-year certificate program in 2021 and immediately went to work for Abzena, a contract research, development and manufacturing organization in Sandford. He’s now employed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in quality control and analytics, supporting the company’s Sanford operations.

Drug contract development and manufacturing company Catalent Inc., with operations in the Triangle and Greenville, is expected to become a part of Novo Holdings by the end of 2024 in a $16.5 billion deal that the companies announced Monday.

The transaction, however, does not specifically involve the North Carolina operations of Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant that’s 77% owned by Novo Holdings.

The Research Triangle area is the hottest spot in the nation for biomanufacturing.

That’s the pronouncement from JLL, a Fortune 500 professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management.

A North Carolina ag tech company is landing some major success in using a new kind of eco-friendly, portable weaponry in the global war on pests. 

Plant Health Care (PHC), a publicly traded company headquartered in Holly Springs, has received Brazilian approval to deploy its biological TEIKKO (pronounced TAKE-oh) soybean “nematicide” into that huge South American market.

As concerns mount over the climate impact of methane gas emissions, a Raleigh startup is commercializing its engineered corn that gives farmers a way to practically eliminate methane emissions from cattle.

Elysia Creative Biology is working within the existing agricultural supply chain to boost the use of corn feed that prevents methane emissions. The three-person company, founded in 2021, plans to provide its modified corn seed to farms that produce corn supplies for feed mills, which in turn sell animal feed to dairy farmers.

“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”

That’s the English translation of a quote attributed to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician who is considered the “father of medicine.”

Around 400 BC, his “Hippocratic oath” gained traction among healers to become a code of ethics that remains a guidepost of medical practice today.

WFIRM also selected to lead AFIRM Consortium

The U.S. National Science Foundation on Friday announced two of the first-ever NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines), both in North Carolina. 

The Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine and the North Carolina Sustainable Textiles Innovation Engine will each initially receive up to $15 million for two years and up to $160 million over 10 years. 

In 2023, North Carolina attracted several life sciences investments, continued developing a trained workforce for the growing industry, and won national accolades as a top place to do business.

“2023 was a year of expansion for North Carolina’s life sciences ecosystem with major forward momentum to ensure the state has the necessary infrastructure and engagement to enable its future success,” said Laura Rowley, Ph.D., North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s vice president of life science economic development.

Durham-based Locus Biosciences has received $23.9 million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to begin a blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial of its CRISPR-enhanced bacteriophage therapy, LBP-EC01. The product kills targeted bacteria by irreversibly destroying their DNA while leaving the many species of beneficial bacteria in the body unharmed.

The ELIMINATE trial will evaluate LBP-EC01 for treating urinary tract infections caused by drug-resistant E. coli.

Leon DeJournett, M.D., chief medical officer and founder of Ideal Medical Technologies in Asheville, N.C., has been leading the development of an innovative technology for controlling blood sugar (or glucose levels) of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The company’s FUSION system has already demonstrated exciting positive results in its first clinical trial. 

Jaguar Gene Therapy – which arrived in North Carolina in 2021 – is creating a new company to manage its chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) capabilities.

Durham-based gene editing company Precision BioSciences has cut a second deal in six months involving its leading off-the-shelf CAR T candidate, Azercabtagene Zapreleucel (azer-cel).

A staple of the Watauga County corporate community has been selected large business of the year by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.

MOLTOX Molecular Toxicology, Inc., which produces pre-clinical research products for toxicology testing, will be formally recognized on Wednesday, January 10, during the 8th Annual High Country Economic Kickoff Luncheon. Also receiving awards are Baker Forge & Tool (small business of the year) and Mountain Elite All-Star Cheer & Tumbling (startup business of the year).

Morrisville-based Liquidia Corp., which is pursuing final regulatory approval for Yutrepia, its treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, has secured two agreements that will give the company an additional $100 million in capital.

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