new iberia research center jobs

The New Iberia Research Center, a primate research facility run by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is pictured Thursday, September 23, 2021, in New Iberia, La.

• STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK
• Copy article link

Pharma project that could employ hundreds in Iberia Parish lands $500K federal grant

Adam Daigle

• Author email
• May 11, 2022
• 2 min to read

The Acadiana Planning Commission landed a $500,000 federal grant that will go toward efforts to create a biopharmaceutical manufacturing cluster in Iberia Parish that would also create at least 400 jobs in the region.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration awarded the grant for business operations and will be matched by $125,000 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which will partner on the project with its New Iberia Research Center. Officials behind the project are also seeking state funding to build the facility, which would specialize in pharmaceutical research and feature a manufacturing facility in a building to be built at the nearby Progress Point Business Park.

It could create 400-500 jobs, said Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president of research, innovation and economic development.

The effort would allow development and manufacturing to be done domestically instead of relying on efforts overseas, including China, APC executive director Monique Boulet said.

The intent is to build a biosafety level 3, or BSL 3 lab, that would also feature manufacturing that would also allow drug companies to come in, lease space and do their own research, she said.

BSL-3 labs are used to study infectious agents or toxins that may be transmitted through the air or cause potentially lethal infections. They are designed to be easily decontaminated.

“Today we rely on China,” Boulet said. “I think the whole world has learned the problems with that. We have to be really able to take care of ourselves in a pandemic or any type of world situation. We’re really trying to onshore the research and manufacturing. We have a lot of products, and a lot of them are agricultural. We have a lot of the supply chain already here in Louisiana.”

Leaders at UL also want to create a curriculum tract in bio pharmaceutical, which would be the first of its kind, Boulet said.

The research center, housed at 118-acre site at the Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia and is one of the largest primate centers in the U.S., was active in development of COVID-19 vaccines in helping determine the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The animals had to be transported to BSL-3 facilities in San Antonio, Atlanta or other areas, Kolluru said. The research center is a level 2 lab.

“Still with all those delays, we still got the Pfizer vaccine,” Kolluru said. “We were limited in our ability while we were really proud to work with them. We could have shaved off a lot of time we only had the BSL-3 capacity in house.”

“Today’s announcement by the EDA is a sign of the continued growth and vibrancy of Louisiana’s life sciences sector,” Gov. John Bel Edwards. “Our state is committed to expanding economic opportunity by developing solutions for the major pharmaceutical, biotech and health care challenges of our day. But we can’t do it alone. We’re grateful for the support of our federal partners at the Department of Commerce and the EDA, whose investment in an emerging biopharma business cluster in the Acadiana Region can help drive future life sciences innovation and job creation across the state.”

The project, Kolluru noted, follows the similar objective of the SafeSource Direct plant in Broussard, which has begun making PPE products and plans to employ over 1,000 while onshoring much of that production in the U.S. instead of overseas.

There will be movement on the project within 12 months, Kolluru said.

“We have significant support from our delegation and the administration,” he said. “Coming out of COVID-19, we recognized the value of what the university has done and want to keep moving forward. The APC has been an extraordinary partner in all aspects of this project. We think this could be an exciting opportunity for Louisiana to be a national player in the biopharmaceutical sector. As a state, we believe we should be.”

This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in grants available to communities. The program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants will help communities plan, build, innovate and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs.

“The Economic Development Administration is focused on supporting locally-driven strategies to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Alejandra Y. Castillo, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. “This strategic plan will guide the Acadiana region in using cluster-based economic development and leveraging resources to create a one-stop shop for bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing, creating a stronger, more resilient regional economy.”

Email Adam Daigle at [email protected] .

Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Followed notifications

Please log in to use this feature.

• Environment & Natural Resources
• Youth Development
• Food & Health
• Digital Agriculture
• Family & Home
• Lawn & Garden
• Money & Business
• Louisiana Ag Magazine
• Job Opportunities

Publications

• Louisiana Agriculture Magazine
• Management Guides
• Newsletters
• Publications for Sale
• The Stately Oak

News & Events

• News & Media Center
• Get It Growing
• Administration
• Vice President and Dean's Office
• College of Agriculture

Our offices

• Research Stations
• Departments
• CRIME STATS

• 4-H/FFA Programs
• Environment and Natural Resources

• Our Offices

Iberia Research Station

•  8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• 337-276-5527
•  337-276-9088
•  603 LSU Bridge Rd. Jeanerette, LA 70544

Innovate . Educate . Improve Lives

The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

New iberia research center, university research division, search form.

• Our History
• Our Mission
• Job Opportunities
• Educational Opportunities
• Laboratories
• Animal Care
• Contract Research
• Grants & Contracts
• Quality Assurance
• Information Technology
• Physical Facilities
• Occupational Health & Safety
• Procurement Department

You are here

The New Iberia Research Center operates from a 118-acre site with 24 buildings totaling over 485,000 square feet. Diversified animal housing systems include indoor/outdoor cages for housing small non-human primates in large family groups, outdoor corncrib/minicrib combinations for housing macaque and Cercopithecine species, and indoor single housing units for all non-human primate species in cage sizes recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture. 

Clinical and research support areas are located in near proximity to outdoor social housing across the UL Lafayette-NIRC campus.  Diagnostic capabilities include radiography, ultrasonography, and an onsite clinical pathology laboratory.  Two on site dedicated surgical suites are maintained as available for both protocol mandated, routine scheduled and emergency care procedures.  Service agreements are maintained on all equipment to ensure non interruption of services. Protocol mandated surgical procedures are minimally invasive.  Clinical Pathology diagnostic support is centrally located in a 12,000 square foot, controlled access laboratory.  Diagnostic support capabilities include hematology, chemistry, coagulation, microbiology, urinalysis, parasitology and histology. 

There are over 6,800 non-human primates housed at the Center which makes NIRC one of the largest primate center in the US.  Active breeding and/or research holding programs exist for the following species: Cebus apella, Chlorocebus aethiops, Macaca fasicularis, Macaca nemestrina, and Macaca mulatta.

After 5 monkey deaths, USDA issues warning to UL's New Iberia research center

After five monkeys died at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's New Iberia Research Center, an official warning was issued by U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

The warning was issued Jan. 14 citing the center for violating a federal law that deals with housing facilities. The law states housing facilities must have reliable power for heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting as well as running potable water for drinking. 

The warning said the violation occurred on Aug. 26, the same date the university reported five monkey deaths to the National Institutes of Health. 

A federal inspection report by the USDA stated that five infant rhesus macaque, a type of monkey, died or were euthanized due to dehydration on July 19 and 20.

UL said in a statement the USDA conducted a thorough investigation and concluded that "all mitigating measures" implemented were satisfactory. 

"The USDA concluded with only a warning, electing not to pursue any penalties or other sanctions relative to this incident," university spokesperson Eric Maron said in a statement.

"UL Lafayette and its staff members are diligent in the care provided to animals at the New Iberia Research Center. The center follows rules and guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies."

Maron said in a statement a water pressure regulator malfunctioned causing an intermittent reduction in water pressure to an animal room. The research center has since enhanced its pressure monitoring and implemented daily manual checks and records of water pressure. 

Six infant rhesus macaques suffered dehydration and were immediately treated by the attending veterinarian, reads the statement. Two died, and three were later euthanized when they did not respond to treatment; one fully recovered. 

More: Groups make claims against UL Lafayette's New Iberia Research Center after primate deaths

Multiple animal advocacy groups condemned  the deaths . PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the warning issued last month "won't undo the trauma endured by the monkeys" and that it filed a complaint with the National Institutes of Health. 

"UL-Lafayette should redirect its resources toward modern, non-animal research methodology that will actually help humans, and we urge officials there to adopt PETA’s Research Modernization Deal," the group said in a statement.

"This will benefit animals—who are sentient and deserve to live free from suffering inflicted by humans—and promote public health and safety, since monkeys can carry pathogens that pose a risk to humans."

More: Animal activist group raises concerns after monkeys die at UL's New Iberia site

The New Iberia Research Center is the nation’s largest academically affiliated, nonhuman primate research center. NIRC is home to more than 8,500 nonhuman primates, according to the university.

The center has recently been noted for the role it played in the  Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine , the first fully tested COVID-19 immunization approved for emergency use.

The center has received federal fines in the past, including one for $100,000 in 2017 to settle six complaints about its lab, according to the Associated Press. The university did not admit any wrongdoing at the center under the settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Contact Ashley White at [email protected] or on Twitter @AshleyyDi .