On August 17, 2022 Biotech Connection Los Angeles (BCLA) featured the second part of R&D Discussion Series focused on Manufacturing. This week's panelists featured Jorge Osuna (Gilead) and Anupam Aich (Leica Biosystems), which was moderated by Patrick Gavit (Takeda).
The panel discussion was held for 30 minutes with topics surrounding what the manufacturing process looked like in industry— from formulation, scale up processes, quality control, quality assurance, validation, and the supply chain. One of the key points of discussion was the convergence of expertise that is required to make the manufacturing phase of drug development run smoothly. Within industry there needs to be chemical engineers, chemists, and biochemists who collaborate to optimize a drug; as well as administrative staff who oversee Environmental Health and Safety, finance, and regulatory affairs. What this means for individuals interested in the manufacturing phase of development is that candidates should have the soft skills needed to communicate, build relationships, and work as part of a team, along with critical thinking. Although education levels from bachelors to PhD are accepted into this segment of drug development, the panelist emphasized that about 50% of technical services are done by scientists with a PhD or other graduate degree.
The main takeaway from this discussion was that training and developing an understanding of the manufacturing process leads to a strong foundation to make trouble-shooting easier and prepare one to eventually take on higher leadership roles. Following this discussion, panelists participated in an audience Q&A where they answered questions from the attendees.
We would like to thank the panelists and the moderator for taking their time to be with us, as well as our sponsors. Additionally, we would like to thank all the attendees for supporting our series and engaging in the discussion with their questions. We look forward to seeing you at BCLA’s next week’s R&D discussion panel about ‘Clinical Trials’.