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Home > Nanotechnology Columns > Piedmont Triad Partnership > COIN: A New Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine in North Carolina

Dixon Johnston
EVP
Piedmont Triad North Carolina

Abstract:
COIN is a young, non-profit organization seeking the "right" combination of resources, services and support for the innovators in the NC-based medical/scientific communities. COIN is emerging as a multi faceted resource that acts as a catalyst to promote commercialization of new nanobiotechnology applications.

August 20th, 2010

COIN: A New Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine in North Carolina

By Brooks Adams, Executive Director & President, COIN

Brooks Adams

Coin


Introduction
The opportunity for significant clinical benefits represented by the myriad applications of nanobiotechnology in medical product sectors is remarkable. For example, nano-enabled drug delivery holds promise to improve biodistribution, reduce the therapeutic dose, reduce toxicity, improve efficacy, and also to potentially offer multimodal or theranostic approaches. Based in North Carolina, COIN is a young, non-profit organization that acts as a catalyst to promote commercialization of such nanobiotechnology applications. COIN's programs and services are designed to help researchers, entrepreneurs, product developers, business managers, and investors involved in nanobiotechnology to accelerate development of related applications and new product development in the state and beyond.

What North Carolina offers
North Carolina is a leader in nanobiotechnology and related new product innovation and entrepreneurship. The state rose to prominence due to the significant local resources and activity in the field including in the Research Triangle Park area, the adjacent Piedmont Triad region, and Charlotte. North Carolina's assets include 35 public and private nanotechnology and nanobiotechnolgy research institutes and programs, six major academic medical centers, 37 emerging nanobiotechnolgy companies, numerous resident large companies active in key sectors where nanobiotechnology will have significant commercial impact, and investors and policy makers with significant vested interest in the space.

COIN's value proposition
Established in 2009 by leaders in the Piedmont Triad at Wake Forest University, NC A&T University, UNC-Greensboro and with funding from the NC Biotechnology Center, COIN represents a targeted state resource to encourage development of commercial applications of nanobiotechnology in key markets and to foster downstream economic growth. Through its network of academic and emerging company researchers, COIN has knowledge of and access to myriad nanobiotechnologies that may be applied across a range of life science sectors. Indeed, a preliminary survey of area universities yielded a number of nanobiotechnologies available for licensing. Moreover most of the emerging nanobiotech companies in the state offer the opportunity to large medical product companies to partner or venture investors to fund exciting applied research and product development.

COIN provides a framework to be the voice of the nanobiotechnology industry within North Carolina and to connect nanobiotechnology inventors, entrepreneurs, and product developers with resources to accelerate commercialization. COIN's programs and services address key issues of its clients such as early-stage funding, preclinical testing, technology scouting, business intelligence, and industry partnering.

Summary
By leveraging the strengths of collaborators including local academic technology transfer offices, ties to exceptional entrepreneurial networks for small businesses, and relationships with its community of academics, emerging companies, service providers, and major medical products companies, COIN helps to enable the development of new products and processes, facilitate technology transfer on a national stage, promote state-of-the-art and emerging technologies and growth of the nanobiotechnology sector in and outside the state.

For more information, please visit www.nc-coin.org

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