Massbay Community College bulks out biotech training centers

Good news for biotechnology students in the Boston area! Two centers have opened in Wellesley on the MassBay Community College campus: the Center for Biomanufacturing Education and Workforce Training (CBEWT), and the Center for Therapeutics and Genomics Training (CTGT).

Over $1.25 million was provided in grants by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to help the college acquire specific equipment for the facilities, including advanced technologies like droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), bioreactors/fermenters, chromatography system, Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) system, flow cytometry, and Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS).

The CBEWT will join the existing CTGT, which has been producing workforce-ready bio-manufacturing technicians through the College’s biotechnology program since 2020.

DepositPhotos/tashatuvango

“We are extremely grateful for the continued support of the Commonwealth and MLSC to ensure our Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students have access to a lab with state-of-the-art equipment that will provide them with an experience they can’t receive anywhere else,” said MassBay president David Podell.

“Biotechnology and bio-manufacturing are growth sectors in our regional economy, and our students are well-prepared for the modern workforce of today. The opening of the centers is key to providing a well-trained pipeline of future employees that will build on Massachusetts’ well-known strength in STEM-based industries.”

Massachusetts, and the Boston area in particular, hosts the facilities of many of the biggest pharma companies in the world, employing a large part of the workforce. The percentage of employees specialized in one or more of the STEM areas in the state stands at 21%, a much higher percentage than the American average, which is only 14%.

Nirmal Sing, director of the newly opened centers, recognized the demand for skilled technicians has intensified in the last few years, putting a stronger focus on education:

“Our biotech programs are crucial in filling the employment gap and fostering regional economic development,” said Sing.

“Not only do we prepare them for successful careers, but we also shape a new generation of highly skilled biomanufacturing technicians. Together, these centers serve as a launch pad for our students, propelling them towards impactful careers that contribute to a more equitable and sustainable bioeconomy.”

The facilities will also foster a series of activities which will see MassBay partner with high schools in the area, and to enhance the college’s biotech programs with new courses such as genomics, cell and gene therapy and biomanufacturing.