Biotech Center Helps Ph.D.s Get Business Experience
Posted: 07-30-2009 : RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has begun supporting a second group of promising scientists in a unique fellowship program that lets them learn about life in industrial research while being mentored by co-workers in North Carolina bioscience companies.

In a competitive screening process, the Biotechnology Center chose three companies in April to be sponsors for this, its second class to enter the Industrial Fellowship Program. Those firms helped select the postdoctoral scientists with whom they will work over the two-year fellowship period.

Derek Bush, who earned his doctorate in chemistry from Duke University last year, is beginning his fellowship at Banner Pharmacaps, of High Point, developer of a gelatin-based, oral drug-delivery system.

Susan Deupree, who earned her biological chemistry Ph.D. in March from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, went to Enthalpy Analytical, of Chapel Hill, a contract research organization that analyzes chemicals for drug discovery and development.

Kwok Willson, whose Ph.D. in biology and MBA were both from UNC Charlotte, will receive experience and training at Pioneer Surgical Orthobiologics, of Greenville, which develops products for tissue repair and regeneration.

The unique Biotechnology Center program provides partial support for two years of salary and benefits for scientists who have limited experience outside academic laboratories. The sponsoring companies also provide a portion of the salary as a match for the fellow.

The program gives each fellow an opportunity to learn first-hand the nature of research in an industrial setting while being mentored by supervisors and colleagues from the host company. The fellows also participate in seminars and other events that expose them to a variety of business and entrepreneurial people and experiences.

Shobha Parthasarathi, Ph.D., technology development director for the Biotechnology Center, said the Industrial Fellowship Program began with five fellows last year as a way to help scientists transition from academic to corporate research. The program also benefits the participating companies by providing inexpensive, high-level scientific expertise.

“These fellows benefit from the industry experience as well as from the business and entrepreneurial training and workshops provided to them,” said Parthasarathi. “By the time they complete their fellowships, we hope to have empowered them with an understanding of the business side of biotech. We also want to help them advance their own research interests and become more skilled at evaluating the commercial potential of innovation.”

The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business, education and strategic policy statewide.

Contact: Chris Brodie, director of communications and media relations, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, chris_brodie@ncbiotech.org or 919-541-9366. Visit the Biotechnology Center's Web site at www.ncbiotech.org.