New NC State University lab to advance fight against deadly viruses

Out of the pandemic, the bio-pharmaceutical world is going through a major change and it’s all hinged on the promise of "viral vectors."

"Viral vectors treats and defeats deadly viruses," said Ph.D Stefano Menegotti with NC State University’s chemical and biomedical engineering.

The new lab at N.C. State University was created to manufacture new gene therapies and viral vectors, which are tools that get genetic material into cells.

"[The lab was created] to treat cancer, to engineer cells for cell therapy, targeted-patient [and] targeted-cell therapies," Menegotti said.

Menegotti and N.C. State University electrical and computer engineer Michael Daniele oversee the new lab.

Daniele said the lab launched on July 22.

"What we have here today is actually the building out of a new lab for both students and researchers to come and learn how to build and manufacture different types of gene therapy and viral vectors," Daniele said.

The program is part of a new partnership called the "NC-Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning." It includes collaboration with other Triangle universities and industries with an aim to roll out products better, at lower cost and faster.

"We can safely and effectively discover, design, clinically manufacture and roll out vaccine in less than one year," Menegotti said.

A select group of graduate and undergraduate students are among those to be trained in this lab with the opportunity and be on the cutting edge of promising new therapies.

"And learn the latest, greatest state of the art production of viral vectors, technologies for production of viral vectors right here at this lab on the NC State Campus," said Daniele.

The partnership’s goal is also to develop new processes that are more affordable and highly scalable for commercial use.