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The university's biomanufacturing research institute is training a new generation of workers for an evolving Tar Heel industry.

Jiahua Xie, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at N.C. Central University, was facing stiff competition for research dollars. Scientists from around the state were looking for cash to continue the hunt for the next super drug. Xie decided to seek funding for a project that has been at the core of his research and submitted a proposal that made him the beneficiary of a biotechnology research grant worth $75,000.

The grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center will allow Xie to explore suppressing cancer through the essential trace mineral, selenium. His premise is complicated. Xie is working on producing a "chemoprotective function food by enriching bioactive components." Simply put, there are compounds in foods that deliver health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Selenium is known to make antioxidant enzymes, which play a role in preventing cell damage and could help suppress certain cancers. So here is one more reason to listen to your mother's pleas to eat your vegetables. Just like many other healthful vitamins and minerals, a bioactive selenium compound is found in broccoli, soybeans, tomatoes, strawberries, radishes, lettuce and potatoes, among other foods. "Our final goal is to use genetic engineering to put these genes in food crops or vegetable plants for cancer prevention," Xie says.

He also will use his grant to work on reducing the risks associated with too much selenium. Selenium contamination comes from many man-made sources and can end up in drinking water. What Xie will concentrate on is milk vetch, a plant that may be able to absorb selenium safely and cheaply.

Any CEO, consultant or economic-development executive would be advised to visit the university's biomanufacturing center, where faculty, staff, researchers and students work on the latest biotechnology puzzles. Researchers at the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise center are working on drug discovery and drug manufacturing. They view human cells as little drug factories manufacturing proteins and antibodies and putting them to work attacking diseases, strengthening the immune system or stopping aging altogether (cellular senescence). Studies are under way evaluating the potential of RNA interference to block disease-producing genetic messages resulting in "gene silencing." Gene silencing could impede Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or other neurodegenerative disorders.

BRITE is considered one of the premiere scientific institutes within the state. Its stature is growing in a field that is exploding. North Carolina now has the nation's third-largest concentration of biotechnological companies. There are many reasons for BRITE's success. At its heart is the ability of NCCU to create laboratory modules that mimic the working environment in private-sector research-and-development firms. Partnering with the pharmaceutical industry, students have the opportunity to intern during the summer of their junior years. Upon graduation, students can literally "hit the ground running." NCCU graduates are primed to have the knowledge base and hands-on experience they need to work in biotechnology, biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical research-and-development companies.

Reggie Holt is a nontraditional student. A rising senior from Raleigh, Holt is 43. He transferred from Wake Technical Community College to NCCU and enrolled at BRITE. This summer he worked in the operations division of Merck's vaccine factory in Durham and wrote to professors at BRITE, "This would be an ideal place to work and grow...everything here is brand new and the people are smart and committed to hard work."

Holt hopes his performance and his personality fit the culture at Merck. He wants to work there to repay his family for the sacrifices they made while he attended BRITE. Holt's wife, Sharon, and his children - Alonna, 14, and Nino, 9 - cut back on their spending and encouraged him to finish his studies. "I faced my fears," Holt said. "How can I expect my children to go to college if I fail to lead by example?"

There are lots of reasons to attend BRITE. Brainpower is a key driver. BRITE is an incubator that is rich in talent, which is sustained by a consortium of private and public supporters. The center is located in an area known for its cost-effective quality of life. Another reason is to take advantage of a growing industry. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently reported on the number of biotechnology companies established between 1997 and 2001. "North Carolina was the front-runner in adding new firms," it says. "The state increased its total number of companies by 52.5%, up from 23.7% during the previous period."

BRITE's faculty has established research related to drug discovery and drug manufacturing (searching for therapies for a myriad of diseases; using computer technology to help chemists interpret drug data, compounds and collection). The center boasts a library of 400,000 chemical compounds. New compounds can be screened in the space of a week, tested for toxins and purified.

There has been an increase in health-care spending and growth in the use of prescription drugs. BRITE researchers are looking at personalizing medicines for cancers, pain, and diabetes according to the individual's unique genetic blueprint. This is particularly important to baby boomers now facing their golden years. They buy 75% of all pharmaceuticals. In the year 2020, an estimated 1 billion people in the world will be older than 60. BRITE is focusing on diseases afflicting the elderly such as the neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

In 2006, BRITE offered a bachelor's program in biology, chemistry and physics with a concentration in pharmaceutical sciences. This year, bachelor's and master's degrees were approved in pharmaceutical science. There are 57 students in the undergraduate program and 27 in the master's program. One-half of the master's students are employed by Research Triangle Park-area drug and biomanufacturing companies. BRITE is proving that hands-on education works. About 65% of the state's biotech companies are within 20 miles of the NCCU campus. The university works with UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State, Duke, and the community college system. This proximity has resulted in alliances with pharmaceutical firms with solid marketing and sales infrastructures. The biotechnology industry knows the only way to keep the nation's economy viable as it evolves from old-line manufacturing is to produce educated, well-trained workers. The future is BRITE.