A new center based in the College of Technology will focus on using technology to address medical challenges.
The Biotechnology Innovation and Regulatory Science Center (BIRSC) was approved by Purdue University in the summer of 2014. The center grew out of research projects of two Purdue professors: Kari Clase, associate professor of technology leadership and innovation, and Steve Byrn, Charles B. Jordan Professor of Medicinal Chemistry. They will serve as co-directors of the center.
BIRSC has two main initiatives: 1) develop global programs to ensure sustainable access to medicines for Africa and developing nations, and 2) advance discovery in manufacturing technology, quality of medicines, and rare disease research.
“We wanted to blend the competencies of our respective programs to improve educational opportunities and research,” Clase said. “As a center, we will be able to forge stronger collaborations with companies globally as we address innovation and emerging technologies in biotechnology.”
Master’s degree specialization
One of the center’s first offerings is an area of specialization for the college’s master’s degree in technology leadership and innovation. The new degree focus will be offered in a variety of formats: on campus, through the Center for Professional Studies in Technology and Applied Research (ProSTAR) and in Tanzania.
The Tanzania program has received support from pharmaceutical company Merck and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to provide classes tuition-free for up to 50 students from academia or regulatory bodies.
Classes in Tanzania will be offered both onsite at the Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy and via distance from the U.S. Professors from Purdue and scientists from Merck will deliver content in this program.
More focused research
Clase and Byrn are bringing their current research projects into the BIRSC and exploring new projects.
“Our research is focused strongly on the technology of biological molecules,” Clase said.
For example, Clase and Byrn are working on a project to understand how a virus that infects bacteria – a bacteriophage – works. As researchers find out more about the process, they can apply that knowledge to fighting infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.
“There is a growing need to effectively fight bacteria in an age of super bugs and antibiotic resistance,” Byrn said.
Other research projects include:
- studying large biomolecules and their biomarkers to understand brain tumors better and work toward new therapies for brain cancers
- developing continuous manufacturing technologies that will allow small refrigerator-sized units to be placed in remote areas to manufacture high quality protease inhibitor medicines
- providing technologies that can confirm suspected counterfeit medicines in remote settings such as Tanzania
Clase and Byrn agree that the timing is right in academia and industry for the center’s creation.
“There are people who are so eager to be able to address the challenges they have at thome. We have the knowledge now, and the center will us do a better job of equipping them and handling problems,” Clase said. “If you look at a national level, there are so many things now available to make this happen, such as funding, programs and emerging research.”