NC Research Campus Update

Find Out What’s the Latest with this World Renowned Biotech Development

Severe Acne Will Be Focus of Study at NC Research Campus
Duke University’s medical research study at the N.C. Research Campus has launched an effort to understand genetic factors that cause severe acne.

The MURDOCK Study at the Duke Translational Medicine Institute in Kannapolis is enrolling patients as young as 12 who have been diagnosed with severe acne vulgaris and have been treated with oral isotretinoin, such as Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis or Sotret.

Directed by Dr. Thomas Urban of the Duke Center for Human Genome Variation and Dr. Diana McShane of the Duke Department of Dermatology and in partnership with several local dermatologists, the project will identify genetic factors predisposing patients to severe acne and explore if genetics can predict how they will respond to treatment.

“If we can identify genetic factors that influence response to treatment, we’ll not only be able to improve how we use current medications, but may also discover new and safer ways of treating severe acne,” Urban said in a press release.

The study is recruiting 250 past or present severe acne patients who will receive a $25 gift card to donate about an hour of their time, as well as small samples of blood and urine.

Severe acne affects up to 50 million people in the United States and afflicts as many as 85 percent of teenagers. Study participants will help efforts to better understand and treat this disease.

The Dermatology Group of the Carolinas in Concord has partnered with the MURDOCK Study to become an enrollment site.

“This research could lead to a better understanding of the genetics of acne and response to treatment,” said Dr. Sarah Cash, a member of the practice.

While people must live in Cabarrus County or Kannapolis to join the MURDOCK Study’s community registry, there are no geographic requirements for eligibility in the acne study.

For questions about the study or to schedule a one-time enrollment appointment to join, contact the MURDOCK Study office at 704-250-5861 or email murdock-study@duke.edu

The MURDOCK Study is named for Research Campus founder David Murdock and stands for Measurement to Understand the Reclassification of Disease Of Cabarrus/Kannapolis.

AL Brown Students Work with Researcher at NC Research Campus
A.L. Brown High School students in Jordan Baker’s introduction to engineering design class are working with Dr. Carol Cheatham at the North Carolina Research Campus to help design tools for her research.

Cheatham, a brain researcher at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, studies the cognitive ability of toddlers.

She gave the engineering students flawed or broken tools and asked them to redesign them for her.

The students used AutoDesk Inventor 3-D Modeling Software to redesign the tools, and they presented their results to Cheatham for her feedback.

Based on her comments, the students will now redesign the final products using a 3-D printer and present them to Cheatham. She will use the tools in her research.

Local Researcher Named to Lead Scientific Advisory Board
Steven Zeisel, MD, PhD, and Director of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), was recently appointed as the Chair of GenoVive’s newly formed Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). GenoVive, a private corporation founded in 2008, employs a pioneer approach to weight loss and sustained healthy eating. GenoVive’s geneticists and food scientists have developed customized, all-natural meal and exercise programs, featuring ideal combinations of macronutrients based on individual DNA.

The new Scientific Advisory Board at GenoVive will be comprised of prominent, multi-disciplinary experts in the fields of health and weight management, nutrigenomics, genetics, biochemistry, clinical psychology, and food science. The board will guide research activities and provide critical scientific input to GenoVive as the company leverages recent research breakthroughs to deliver personalized weight management solutions based on genetic science.

As Chair of this board, Dr. Zeisel, an expert in the field of individualized nutrition, will lead the board in lending strategic insight to GenoVive. The board’s purpose is to guide the company’s research activities, seeking out the most innovative and promising research projects in the emerging field of nutrigenomics, helping GenoVive explore the role certain genes play in weight gain. The board will also guide the translation of published science into actionable solutions and explore ways to expand its research efforts to accelerate the development of new innovative products

Please stay tuned to the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for more developments on this exciting story. For more information on what is going on at the NC Research Campus, please visit the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s website at www.centralinaworks.com.

Background on the NC Research Campus

The State’s Next Biotechnology Region EmergesThe North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) has created excitement and interest from the entire Charlotte Region about future careers in biotechnology. The NCRC is a joint venture between Dole Foods, the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and the North Carolina Community College System that will be built over the next five to seven years on the former Pillowtex Plant 1 site in downtown Kannapolis. Projected to cost $1 billion and covering over 350 acres, the project is being funded partially by an investment from David H. Murdock, owner of Dole Foods and Castle & Cooke, Inc.
     
The NCRC will include the UNC at Chapel Hill’s Nutrition Institute, a Dole-NC State University Institute for Advanced Fruit and Vegetable Science, a Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) facility, and a science and mathematics school for girls supported by UNC-Charlotte. The development plans also include residential, office, and retail components. Within the NCRC complex will be an $80 million, 311,000 square-foot Core Laboratory with a state-of-the-art contract manufacturing biogenic facility. This facility will be available for use by companies to be physically located on the NCRC. Mr. Murdock has established a venture capital fund of $100 million to help attract biotech start-up firms to the NCRC.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board has been and will continue to be an active partner with local workforce and economic development agencies in the growth of the NC Research Campus.  The Board has already worked with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and the Cabarrus County and Rowan County JobLink Career Centers in establishing the R3 Center (Refocus, Retrain, Re-employ) for intensive career counseling for individuals interested in the growing employment options in the region.  Additionally, the Centralina Workforce Development Board has assist in marketing and coordinating the involvement of workforce partners with the R3 Center, with the college’s Biotech 101 General Information Sessions for the general public, and with the college’s BioWorks course.

The North Carolina Research Campus Mission

The purpose of the North Carolina Research Campus is to create knowledge, jobs, and progress. These are the goals outlined in the campus’ success:

• Improve human health through research in nutrition and agriculture
• Create jobs through development of the campus
• Bring therapies and products to the public more quickly to improve health and nutrition, and create more jobs