To help adult learners gain important skills for jobs in the growing regional biomanufacturing industry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is now enrolling students for the next session of its Fundamentals of Biomanufacturing accelerated training program, which begins April 22.
"This program is designed for people who want to work in the biotech sector, but don’t necessarily have previous experience in the life sciences," said Rachel LeBlanc, director of WPI's Corporate and Professional Education (CPE) division. "It’s ideal for people who want to enter the field from other industries, or even right out of high school."
WPI created the program in partnership with AbbVie (formerly Abbott Laboratories), Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Shire Human Genetic Therapies, and other life sciences companies to make sure the curriculum gives students the specific knowledge and hands-on experience they will need to make the transition into biomanufacturing. The program is taught by instructors who are also currently hiring managers in the biomanufacturing field.
During the eight-week evening program, students will learn—and work on—all the processes involved in full-scale biomanufacturing, including elements of fermentation, media preparation, centrifugation, buffer preparation, purification, and aseptic processing in a biosafety cabinet. Students will also learn the rigors of working under the "current Good Manufacturing Practices" (cGMP) set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates production of medicine.
Anyone interested in learning more about the program should contact Cindy Philbrick at 508-831-5651 or cindyp@wpi.edu.
