Historically Black University in North Carolina Planting the Seeds for a Biotechnology Company Based on Its Research Patents

North Carolina A&T State University has taken the first steps to profit from its research in biotechnology. The university has formed a company called Provagen that plans to commercialize technology developed by university researchers in its agricultural sciences division. The new company hopes to market antibody binding proteins which can be used to treat animal diseases.

Start-up funds and business leadership for the new company will be provided by a new state program that encourages the state’s public universities to start commercial ventures based on scientific patents they have secured.

The president of the new firm will be John Allen, a professor in the department of animal sciences at North Carolina A&T who developed the new technology.