Course: SAT 170 Introductory Biotechnology

Unit 16 Learning Module

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Careers in Biotechnology

A successful biotechnology company relies on collaboration between many individuals and departments.

Although a biotechnology company is typically founded by a small group of scientists and investors, a well established biotechnology company includes a diverse selection of jobs.

All biotechnology companies, large or small, have a dedicated research and development (R & D) department. It is the job of the individuals in this department to come up with new ideas and perform the proper observations and experimentation to bring those ideas to fruition. Clinical research departments are often found in biotechnology companies because many of the products of biotechnology are used in the medical field. In fact, for some the distinction between a pharmaceutical company, which focuses on the development and manufacture of drugs, ad biotechnology companies is blurred. Although pharmaceutical companies do not typically use living organisms for the production of a certain drug product, many pharmaceutical companies are partnering with biotechnology companies for the development of drugs using new methods such as generating therapeutic proteins from genetically modified bacteria.

The large-scale production of a particular biotechnology product is the responsibility of the operations or biomanufacturing department which often relies on large bioreactors such as shown here.

A conference provides a valuable opportunity to network as it draws together many people working within the same field.
A patent such as the one shown here is important for protecting the rights that someone or a group of individual’s have for the development of their own novel intellectual property.

The division of a biotechnology company that oversees the process of product development is often referred to as operations or biomanufacturing. The production of any given product requires specific equipment such as bioreactors, as well as individuals that know the procedures for operating such types of equipment. This task often entails what is known as scale-up processes. The scale-up process involves generating a large enough volume of a particular cell culture to carry out production on the scale that can meet the demands for that product. While researchers in the R & D department may perform the experiments needed to produce a product on a small scale, it is the role of those in the biomanufacturing department to convert that recipe to large scale production.

Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) departments are necessary to assist in ensuring that a product is meeting the standards of the company itself as well as the standards of organizations such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Individuals in QA and QC departments are required to monitor equipment, facilities, and personnel as well as to test product samples. In addition to these responsibilities, QA departments will also often have a customer relations specialist or product complaint specialist who will work with consumers to address and follow-up on any problems that consumers have with a particular product.

Every biotechnology company employs staff which monitors procedures to ensure compliance with specific standards and regulations. This department is known as regulatory affairs (RA). In order to fulfill these duties, RA staff must be well rehearsed in the various governing agencies which develop and implement these regulations. Since biotechnology products can vary from drugs to medical devices to combination products, they can cross a wide array of regulatory agencies. Examples of such organizations are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Legal divisions are charged with the responsibility of addressing all legal issues that a new biotechnology is likely to face. Common issues include things like copyrights, naming rights and obtaining the appropriate patents. A patent grants exclusive rights to an inventor for a particular period of time and prevents others from profiting from the production, use, sale, or distribution of someone’s invention. This is important in to ensure protection of an individual’s or group of individual’s intellectual property (IP) so that they may receive the full benefits of their innovations and discoveries. Intellectual property results from expression of an individual’s or group of individual’s ideas and is defined as creations of the mind. IP is protected under IP law which is one major focus of the legal departments of a biotechnology company.

Making a product visible and desirable to consumers is the role of the marketing department within a biotechnology company. Advertising and sales campaigns are responsible for allowing researchers to harvest the fruits of their labors. Although the marketing and sales departments employ individuals with marketing and sales skills, knowledge of the sciences is essential so that they are able to answer specific questions about the products and instrumentation from potential customers. Other roles of individuals in sales and marketing include attending trade fairs and conferences in the field.

As is indicated by this diagram here which is based off data as current as 2012, biotechnology companies exist all over the world and more biotechnology companies are being formed all of the time.

Lab technicians, research associates and senior scientists comprise the research and development team of a biotechnology company.

The oversight of a company’s finances often falls into the hands of a small group of individuals including a chief financial officer (CFO). Such finance departments are responsible for ensuring that a company maintains a good financial standing as well as to attract new investors and obtain additional needed funding.

The field of biotechnology offers a diverse array of careers, employing individuals with varying backgrounds of education and experience. Additionally, career prospects in biotechnology are very good primarily due to the rapid growth of the biotechnology industry.

Lab technicians are integral for a successful R & D department as these individuals are needed to support the research scientists. It is the role of the lab technician to maintain and stock lab equipment and supplies that will be used for a particular project. The research scientists are often thought of as the brains of the R & D department as they are responsible for planning and executing the actual research needed for the development of a new product. Research assistants and research associates are the scientists who perform the experiments by collaborating with many others including principal or senior scientists. In addition to performing their role as “bench” scientists, research associates/assistants must also be involved in interpreting experimental results, prepare reports of data, and update lab protocols and procedures. While the research associates/assistants are responsible for many of the day to day operations of the lab, it is the principal or senior scientists who are responsible for the planning and organization of a project. Other responsibilities of these scientists include obtaining funding for research and serving as a liaison between the R & D department and other areas of the company. The level of responsibility for each of these members of research and development is mirrored in their educational experience and potential earnings. Whereas the degree requirement for a lab technician is typically a bachelor’s, a research assistant is likely to have a master’s in science and a principal scientist often has a PhD.