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RTP Adding 85 Vaccine Production Jobs

August 13, 2010 By: NCTechNews Category: Biopharmaceutical

(Durham, N.C.) Medicago USA Inc. will locate a new vaccine production facility in Durham. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Medicago, Inc., a publicly traded company based in Quebec, Canada. The firm plans to create 85 jobs in Research Triangle Park. The project was made possible in part by a $128,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Medicago a $21 million research grant to improve the process of large-quantity H1N1 vaccine production using plant-based technology. The company is currently using tobacco leaves to produce pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines. Medicago’s project with DARPA will lead to a total investment of more than $32 million in Research Triangle Park.

“Bringing jobs to North Carolina is my No. 1 priority, and part of that mission is seeking out innovative businesses to increase our workforce opportunities,” said Gov. Perdue.  “This exciting project represents the best of the biotechnology sector: creating jobs that use new technology to transform a traditional North Carolina product – tobacco – into vaccines for H1N1 and other dangerous flu viruses.”

Medicago USA is developing vaccines for humans based on two proprietary technologies; plant-based manufacturing technology and its virus-like-particles (VLPs). VLPs can be rapidly and efficiently produced and isolated from plant leaves and closely resemble a virus, allowing them to be recognized readily by the immune system, yet they are completely non-infectious and unable to replicate, making for a very safe vaccine.

The N.C. Biotechnology Center played a key role in recruiting Medicago to the state. “Biotechnology is keeping its promise to create jobs in North Carolina, and we see even greater promise ahead when agriculture and biotechnology are combined,” said Norris Tolson, the center’s president and CEO. “Medicago is a great example of how we can create new jobs that improve the quality of life here in North Carolina and around the world.”

North Carolina continues to have a top-ranked business climate. Through Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative, the state works aggressively to create jobs, train and retrain its workforce, and lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable economic future.

For more information about Medicago USA, including job opportunities with the company, go to http://www.medicago.com.

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