In the fall of 2006, North Carolina Central University School of Law created the first Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law Institute.  The mission of the Institute is to make substantial contributions to the development of global biotechnology and pharmaceutical law.  The Institute focuses on four major research areas: biotechnology, pharmaceutical regulation, bioethics, and technology transfer.  From the Institute, the Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law (JBPL) emerged.  As one of the only legal journals of its kind in the nation and the newest law journal at NCCU School of Law, the Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law occupies a unique place within the law school community.  Its goal is to expose and transform these research areas through scholarly work that analyzes and critiques newly developed issues in this realm.  The Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law seeks to publish a professional periodical devoted to these areas that are useful to judges, practitioners, teachers, legislators, students and others interested in these practice areas.

In the spring of 2008, the Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law successfully published its first issue and remains an annual publication.  Generally, an issue consists of a collection of articles, notes, comments, and essays.  Additionally, once a year, the Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law hosts a successful symposium devoted to a single legal problem or issue in the related research areas.

.