The University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has partnered with The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre and the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) to deliver a customized course as part of the university’s Microprogram in Biomanufacturing. Biomanufacturing is a rapidly growing industry that is critical for the production of new vaccines, gene therapies and cell therapies.
The 12-week course entitled “Principles of Biopharmaceutical Process Development and Biomanufacturing Science” is aimed at MSc Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology students within the Faculty of Medicine. This collaborative course design will help The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa train more biosciences students and build on the region’s smart health, biotherapeutics and precision medicine advantage to support improved patient care, healthcare delivery, and to enable rapid commercialization of “made-in-Ottawa” health innovations.
The course was designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the scientific and engineering challenges present in the manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products. In addition to learning the fundamental theoretical concepts associated with biopharmaceutical manufacturing, students will also gain an understanding of how products move through upstream and downstream processes and the challenges of each phase of development. As part of the course, students have the unique opportunity to experience a biomanufacturing environment firsthand through interactive tours at The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutic Manufacturing Centre. Upon course completion, students will earn three graduate credits towards the nine-credit Microprogram in Biomanufacturing.
“The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre is the most experienced and successful facility of its kind in Canada”
Duncan Stewart
— Executive Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at uOttawa
“The Ottawa Hospital’s Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre is the most experienced and successful facility of its kind in Canada, and we fill a critical gap in Ontario’s life sciences ecosystem,” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, Executive Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.
The microprogram receives funding through the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub (CP2H), co-led by the University of Ottawa (in partnership with The Ottawa Hospital) and McMaster University. It is one of the five research hubs part of the integrated Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF) funding opportunity totalling $10 million.
“CP2H will be a strategic partner to enable Canada to become internationally competitive in the translation of novel biotherapeutic discoveries from academic laboratories and industry settings into clinical testing and commercialization. The Hub will link private sector with intellectual capital, physical infrastructure, manufacturing capacity and experiential training programs like this one. It is a unique collaboration between industry, academia, government, and healthcare institutions that will allow Canada to pivot quickly and protect the health of Canadians should another epidemic or pandemic emerge”, said Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research and Innovation at the University of Ottawa.
The course curriculum was developed by CASTL’s global partner, the industry-leading National Institute for Bioprocessing Research & Training (NIBRT) and will be delivered by CASTL’s industry-expert trainers. Students will receive valuable training that delivers a comprehensive, immersive, and engaging overview of all aspects related to biopharmaceutical manufacturing/bioprocessing including upstream processing; downstream processing and product release, regulatory considerations, good manufacturing practices (GMP), quality assurance (QA), fill-finish, aseptic processing, and facility design.
Thanks to this new course students will be equipped with the industry-applicable knowledge and skills required to be part of the fast-growing pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and biotechnology workforce in Ottawa and beyond.
As part of its academic partnership programs, CASTL collaborates with post-secondary institutions to support the delivery of educational programming related to bioscience with a focus on biopharmaceutical manufacturing. CASTL is expanding its academic partnerships across Canada as part of its strategy to support talent pool development for the biomanufacturing ecosystem.
“CASTL delivers on the industry demand for individuals who are work-ready to enter, thrive, and be successful in careers in life sciences. Through partnerships like this with the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital, we expose students to biopharma manufacturing-specific content, encouraging their interest in this fast-growing sector,” said Penny Walsh-McGuire, CASTL Executive Director. “We are excited about this partnership and look forward to working with its students and faculty.”