UNC-Chapel Hill’s commercialization team supports the quick transfer of research materials to rapidly advance COVID-19 drug testing.
As the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease in 2019) pandemic continues to unfold, faculty from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are on the front lines combatting the fast-moving virus. But with research and discovery happening at a rapid pace, how can these researchers and scientists share critical research materials fast enough to develop and test drug therapies for the virus as quickly as possible?
Material transfer agreements, or MTAs, play a significant role in furthering research across universities and industries. These agreements are designed to govern the transfer of tangible research materials between universities when the recipient intends to use it for their own research purposes. Although most of the general public may not be aware of MTAs, the agreements and the teams that execute them are essential for making scientific progress possible.
At the UNC Office of Technology Commercialization, Licensing Manager Carmen Melvin and Licensing Fellow Nate Whitman spearhead efforts related to make sure MTAs are processed quickly so that important research can keep pace with scientific needs.
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