USDA joins disease-reduction nutrition research group
Founded in 2005, the campus aims to provide a one-stop approach to the study of foods and their relationship to disease.
Clyde Higgs, Vice President, Business Development at NCRC, said the announcement was a coup for the Campus, which was established last year as a single site for the full spectrum nutrition and health research, drawing in expertise from throughout the supply chain.
“It’s very much like Silicon Valley is to high tech companies,” he said. “We’re trying to create that same physical hub for the health and nutrition arena.”
USDA has yet to confirm its program at the center, but the agency's arrival as a partner at the 350 acre site is a significant boost, he said.
Studying nutrition and disease
Eight universities operate satellite labs on the campus, which was founded by Dole Foods’ owner David Murdoch with a $1bn private grant. Launching the project, Murdoch said his vision was for the Research Campus to be “a thriving scientific community where the best minds will shape the way we understand nutrition and its relationship to disease.”
Facilities include the David H. Murdock Research Institute which includes 80,000sq ft of laboratory space offering state-of-the-art instrumentation to university research institutes and private companies located on the site.
“Our proposition to both universities and to manufacturers is that they can come here and plug into a wide range of capabilities, all at one location,” said Higgs. “We are bringing together research into health, agriculture and wellness; universities collaborate to study ingredients across the range from what is grown to what is put in the body."
"If a company wants to conduct a study, it can come to the Campus and meet all the researchers at once, and pick and choose the universities it wants to work with. It’s pretty much that simple.”
Universities on site
Academic bodies in residence include the Universtiy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which has set up a Nutrition Research Institute to explore how nutrition is used to enhance human health using individual metabolic variations to develop solutions that target individual susceptibilities.
A second UNC group is focussing on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of nutrition and the interplay among bioactive food components and genetics.
Appalachian State University’s Human Performance Laboratory is investigating the influence of unique plant molecules including flavonoids.
Industry partners using the site include Sensory Spectrum, which is conducting research into the flavor and texture of functional foods. Announcing the company’s decision last year, Gail Vance Civille, President of Sensory Spectrum said: “We could have located anywhere in Southeast, but with Campus’ collaborative approach to research we believe it will provide us a fertile place to grow and be innovative in the health and wellness sector.”
A new 65,000sq ft Biotechnology training centre is due to open in the Fall of 2010.
