Every academic year, MMB students collaborate with bioscience companies on practicum projects that span the length of an entire semester. The objective of these projects is to help the companies acquire meaningful insights. The scope of these projects is widely varies, and can involve activities such as conducting a comprehensive global market analysis for a specific product, or identifying the most suitable market(s) for a collection of products. These practicum projects represent the comprehensive endeavors undertaken by MMB students during their tenure in the program.
Project Title: Evaluation of the Canine Immunity Food, Treat, and Supplement Market
Project Sponsor: Alura
Date: Fall 2022
We worked alongside Alura, an animal feed biotech company that developed a unique extraction method of immune-boosting bioactive compounds from Ganoderma lucidum. Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom that has been used in ancient Chinese medicine for centuries and holds the nickname “the mushroom of immortality”. Ganoderma lucidum contains important bioactive compounds such as alpha and beta glucans, along with ganoderic acids which provide the mushroom its immune-boosting properties. With Alura’s technology, they can guarantee the exact amounts of these alpha and beta glucans in their product, which differs from competitors that cannot provide a precise guaranteed bioactive component analysis. Alura aims to use these alpha and beta glucans in combination with canine food, treats, and supplements to enter the pet food market.
Our project assessing the canine food and supplement market, reporting our findings to Alura, and recommending strategies for Alura to enter the most promising market. We have conducted market analysis research, reached out to key opinion leaders to gain information about the industry and market, investigated potential partnership opportunities, and discussed marketing and advertising strategies for Alura. Our final deliverables include: a market recommendation, identification of 1-3 companies we believe as strong potential partners, and a go-to-market strategy for how to begin conversations with these companies.
Click the link to view Alura Final Presentation
Project Title: Gut Gold: Mining the Market Potential for Human Derived Mucus
Project Sponsor: Altis Biosystems
Date: Spring 2023
During the Spring 2023 semester, MMB students were paired with “smaller” biotech companies to develop an understanding of the many differences between working for large and small businesses. This semester, I was assigned the team lead role, which meant that- among other things- I was responsible for communicating with the sponsors, adhering to the project timeline, submitting deliverables, and providing the final ‘OK’ on team decisions.
As a team of 4 students working alongside Altis Biosystems, a startup functioning as a CRO out of Durham, NC, our main task was to investigate the pre-clinical market potential for human derived mucus (HDM). Mucus is currently used in a variety of pre-clinical applications, such as to assess drug delivery and metabolism and its effect on the human microbiome. The leading mucus products on the market come from animal sources and fail to accurately represent the human GI tract since there are important rheological differences between organisms’ mucus. To help Altis Biosystems better understand the market(s) for their product, we interviewed key opinion leaders, uncovered competing companies and products, and conducted and presented a comprehensive HDM market analysis to support Altis’s preparation of a phase-II SBIR grant application.
Click the link to view Altis Biosystems Final Presentation
The MMB capstone project requires students to apply the skills acquired throughout the program in effort to tackle an unmet need in the biosciences. During the 2024 Spring semester, our team engaged in brainstorming sessions to generate project ideas. After careful consideration of various opportunities, we chose to delve into the research and presentation of a GMO tobacco variety with a reduced axillary meristem, commonly known as the "suckering" phenotype. Our capstone team's objective was to revolutionize tobacco farming by harnessing GMO technology, with the goal of reducing labor while enhancing crop yield. Our value proposition centers on reducing the costs associated with tobacco production, driven by escalating labor and chemical expenses.
To be updated Spring/Summer 2024
In addition to the longer, more involved Practicum projects, MMB students also work on shorter, one-month long projects through NCSU's Comparative Medicine Institute (CMI). The purpose of these projects is to assist faculty with market research and assessment.
Project Title: Evaluation of Parahydrogen-based Hyperpolarization Market Viability
Project Sponsor: NCSU CMI
Date: Fall 2022
The subject of medical imaging technology is a growing field due to increased research initiatives and interest on how to improve current techniques. For our BAM consultation project, we collaborated with Thomas Theis, Ph.D and Carlos Dedesma, Ph.D, MBA. Vizma Life Sciences was founded in 2020 by Carlos Dedesma, Ph.D, MBA with the purpose of commercializing advancements in chemistry and physics to tag metabolically relevant molecules with useful signals. Drs. Theis and Dedesma have developed a novel parahydrogen-based technology that hyperpolarizes metabolites that can be injected into patients. Parahydrogen is one of two magnetic forms of hydrogen gas. For our project, we achieved the following goals: 1) preformed secondary web research to identify roughly 20 potential early adopters in academia within preclinical imaging and metabolic drug discovery, 2) created a key opinion leader (KOL) interview guide for each of the target market audiences, and 3) conducted KOL interviews on pre-screened candidates from the secondary web research findings and compiled summary notes.
Click the link to view the Final Presentation
NC State's OIT provides support to university researchers seeking to translate their research into commercial ventures. MMB students collaborate with these researchers to help them identify valuable information and insights that can aid them in the process of commercialization.
Project Title: Automate it: assessing the market for a simplified extracellular matrix production system
Project Sponsor: NCSU CMI
Date: Spring 2023
We worked alongside Drs. Freytes, Mora Navarro, and Biehl from NCSU and UNC's joint department of biomedical engineering to assess the market space for an automated process of producing decellularized extracellular matrix tissue. This production method is highly valuable due to its ability to save time, labor costs, and improve product quality. With the increasing amount of interest in ECM, the need for novel technologies that allow the standardization of production in faster manners, with less batch-to-batch variabilities, becomes more urgent.
Click the link to view the Final Presentation
Having strong communication skills aids in all aspects of life- from personal life to professional life and everything else in between. Communication is a critical skill in business that helps to avoid mistakes, develop strong relationships with coworkers, and display findings in a clear and concise manner. As a graduate student immersed in both science and business, I possess a unique skillset to bridge the gap between the two disciplines and effectively communicate to audiences with diverse backgrounds.
Written Communication Examples
Scientific Journal Critique: Interdependent Polar Localization of FlhF and FlhG and Their Importance for Flagellum Formation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Literature Review: Evaluating Psilocybin as a Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders
NCSU Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center Facility Compliance Audit: BTEC Facility Audit
NCSU Extension Fact Sheet: Blue Mold of Tobacco
NCSU Extension Fact Sheet: Target Spot of Tobacco
Individual Public Speaking opportunities