Basic research, mostly conducted at academic institutions, is the foundation of North Carolina's biotechnology industry. North Carolina's major universities maintain technology transfer offices to manage intellectual property and move technology toward commercial applications. Many form partnerships with industry to help fund professors' research. Several dozen biosciencecompanies have arisen from technologies developed at North Carolina universities, including:
- Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc. was formed to commercialize new drugs for chronic bronchitis and other diseases of the lungs based on technology developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The company is developing a compound called uridine triphosphate, which the UNC scientists discovered is a triggering molecule in the airway-cleansing process.
- Trimeris Inc. is developing drugs to treat viral diseases including AIDS. The company's founders include Dr. Dani Bolognesi, director of the Duke University Center for AIDS Research and head of the National Working Group for HIV Vaccine Development, and his Duke colleague, Dr. Thomas Matthews, who was instrumental in developing Trimeris' core technology.
For more information on Technology Transfer, contact us at 919-541-9366.