Biological therapeutics, known as biologics, are medications produced by living cells. Among the most effective biologics are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). These large and complex proteins are designed to precisely match the molecular target of therapy, allowing them to disrupt disease pathways or neutralize harmful pathogens.
The specificity of targeting, central to the effectiveness of mAb treatments, has revolutionized the management of many complex diseases, including cancers, chronic inflammation, infections, and autoimmune disorders. However, this specificity also imposes stringent requirements on mAb manufacturing, which must produce a consistent and high-purity product despite the inherent biological variability of living cells.
The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) established its Deep Technology Talent Initiative to build workforce capacity in these sorts of high-tech fields. Now, its new Utah Workforce for Biotherapeutics (UWB) Deep Tech Initiative will support educational programs to give Chemical Engineering students at the U the training they need to produce biologics at scale.
The UWB Initiative’s support will establish a new educational emphasis within the Department’s undergraduate offerings — Biochemical Engineering and Bioprocessing — and equip a new Biomanufacturing Laboratory, where hands-on classes in that emphasis will be taught.
“The biological variability of cells used to synthesize mAbs and the sophisticated processes to produce, harvest, and purify the product requires a highly educated workforce,” says Misha Skliar, professor in the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical Engineering and principal investigator of the UWB Initiative.
“Utah has one of the highest concentrations of biotech jobs per capita in the US, but the specific training requirements for working in biotherapeutics are steep,” says Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Tom Zangle, the co-principal investigator of the UWB Deep Tech initiative.
“Our education institutions must prepare to address the growing need to teach students the knowledge and skills required to produce biologics,” says Skliar.
To address this need, the biomanufacturing program at the U will combine fundamental engineering and manufacturing science principles with experiential learning. The new Biomanufacturing Laboratory will make it possible by providing hands-on student training in cell culture bioreactors, protein purification, and quality control to meet stringent mAb production requirements for safety and efficacy.
Current and future Chemical Engineering students will not be the only beneficiaries. The initiative will also use modularized course content to offer industry-targeted micro-certifications on topics such as FDA regulations, aseptic techniques, and laboratory biosafety.
The success of biotherapeutics, which starts with discoveries in the life sciences, requires partnerships between academic scientists, engineers, clinicians, and industry to accelerate their transition to clinical practice and contribute to Utah’s economy.
To address these multifaceted challenges and guide the UWB initiative, Skliar and Zangle have established an Industrial Advisory Board consisting of senior-level executives and industry experts of leading Life Sciences companies, including Avantor, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Recursion Pharmaceuticals, ARUP Laboratories, and Denali Therapeutics. The Board is chaired by U alumnus Blake Goff, an experienced biomanufacturing executive. Faculty from various disciplines across campus will contribute to the program development and collaborate on course design and laboratory training.
The first course offered within the emphasis —Advanced Bioprocessing — will begin next semester.