North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

• Author: Tolson, Norris E.

Friends and colleagues:

We are delighted that our third annual printing of this North Carolina Biotechnology Directory is bigger than ever. Our state's thriving and resilient life-science core now contains nearly 550 R&D. biomanufacturing, and contract research and testing companies.

As you leaf through this publication, take note of our healthy mix of global corporate giants, exciting university spin-outs and growing clusters that are here because of North Carolina's nationally recognized great business climate, our hiqhly educated job-ready workforce and our unmatched quality of life.

I invite you to witness our statewide life-science community's unique ability to forge partnerships and connections that invigorate and sustain our top-tier global position. The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has been promoting this creative, collegial environment since its founding in 1984, with the support of the General Assembly and many other state leaders. As a result, we're closing in on statewide employment totals of 60,000 direct life-science jobs, or 227,000 jobs when we include those who support the industry.

This directory contains some notable stars aWeady emerging from our initiative tapping our strengths in biotech and agriculture to retain our premier agbiotech position. You might find our "aghceutical" companies especially interesting. They're creating medicines not only from chemical synthesis of plant ingredients, but more recently, developing powerful therapeutic proteins from plant tissues.

We've also become a global leader in vaccine R&D and manufacturing, with four of the top-five vaccine companies in our state. Our mutti-billion-doliar...