Students Attend Biomanufacturing Bootcamp

MCCC Students Attend Rigorous Biomanufacturing Boot Camp at North Carolina State University 

In biomanufacturing, boot camp does not involve intensive training for physical fitness, but it does involve a challenging curriculum and hands-on training in biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes. Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) students Winsome Grenyion, Hetal Doshi, Sue Ratkiewicz, Todd Smith, Sylvia Donnelly and David Frank recently participated in the Biomanufacturing Boot Camp at the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. This unique training center, which is part of NCSU’s College of Engineering, is a crossdisciplinary instructional center that combines education and training in the biomanufacturing industry for undergraduates and graduates, as well as working professionals. BTEC includes two state-of-the-art facilities with more than $12.5 million of industry-standard equipment. MCCC and the biotechnology program was well represented sending six of only twelve community college students from across the country selected to attend the five-day boot camp from June 1-June 5. Working in small groups, the students progressed through the upstream process of cell cultivation in bioreactors to cell harvest by continuous centrifugation. In the downstream process, the students worked through the stages of cell disruption, product purification, polishing and aseptic filling into vials. In addition to the learning component, the boot camp played a significant role in shaping the direction of their education and career goals. “The boot camp was a real confidence booster as it allowed me to utilize the skills I learned at MCCC outside of the classroom, which made me feel I would be successful on the job,” Hetal Doshi said. Hetal earned her Master of Science in Biochemistry with a minor in Microbiology degree from Sardar Patel University in 2012. After moving to America, she decided to enroll in MCCC’s Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Certificate of Completion program to obtain the laboratory skills and technique she needed for employment. “I had a degree from India but I wanted something with hands on training to make me more marketable for the job market. I didn’t want to pursue another degree and the certificate program was a great opportunity to get hands on experience and then quickly enter the workforce,” Hetal said. Hetal is currently participating in a 10-week internship program at MCCC where she is collaborating with a local biotech company to analyze histone modifications during stem cell differentiation. This is the second internship at MCCC for Hetal, during the spring semester she worked with Dr. Bryans and Dr. Tessie McNeely from PhotoSonix Medical Inc., a start-up company which is currently housed in the Biotechnology labs at MCCC. PhotoSonix Medical is working on creating a medical device to break up biofilms, colonies of bacteria that set up on wounds or implants that are often difficult to treat. Winsome Grenyion who earned a Bachelor of Health Science in Clinical Laboratory Science Degree from Gwynedd Mercy University. After battling an ongoing medical condition, Winsome was looking to update her skills to re-enter the workforce. After completing the certificate program in biotechnology and biomanufacturing at MCCC, Winsome says she felt well-prepared for the boot camp. “We were theoretically and practically ready for the boot camp thanks to the rigorousness of Dr. Bryans’ biotechnology and biomanufacturing courses,” she said. The hands-on approach used in MCCC’s biotechnology and biomanufacturing classes provide students with the knowledge and confidence they need to work in any lab, says Dr. Bryans. “They know how to use the equipment, they are confident following procedures and work well independently—I do not have to hold their hands during the internships,” Dr. Bryans said. After completing the 40-hour program, the students earned a Certificate of Completion, and the recognition that they are prepared to work in a laboratory setting with other biotechnologists. Like Hetal, Winsome is also currently an intern at MCCC in conjunction with a local biotech company. She is comparing different growth factor formulations on the proliferation rate of cultured mammalian cells. “I’m like a detective. I like to identify what I find and to determine the causes of my findings,” said Grenyion, in regards to her research. The tuition and related costs of BTEC’s Biomanufacturing Boot Camp were covered by the c3bc, the Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials, which is an initiative funded by the Department of Labor Trade Adjustment College and Career Training Grants Program. MCCC is a member of and receives funding from c3bc. For more information about Montgomery County Community College’s Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing programs or to schedule a visit to see the biotechnology labs, contact Dr. Maggie Bryans, Program Coordinator, at mbryans@mc3.edu.