Industry Visit Spotlight: Resilience

In early July, IBB professors and researchers Ed Botchwey and Andrés García led a team of graduate students from the NIH Cell and Tissue Engineering (CTEng) and NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) programs on an industry visit to Resilience in Pennsylvania. With 11 locations across the U.S., the Resilience Cell Therapy Center of Excellence is dedicated to creating processes and platforms that will allow scientists to make their novel therapies quickly, safely, and at scale. Resilience offers solutions with expertise across five core modalities: biologics, cell therapy, gene therapy, nucleic acids, and vaccines.

The Industry Visit Program is a key component of IBB’s NIH/NIGMS-funded T32 Biotechnology Training Program focused on developing the next generation of leaders for biotechnology industries. The program supports some of Georgia Tech’s brightest Ph.D. students, with professional development activities and travel expenses to biotech industry sites covered. These visits provide students with a firsthand look inside some of the best biotech companies, as well as excellent networking opportunities.

Luiza DaMotta, a second-year bioengineering Ph.D. student in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, was among the students who joined the trip. DaMotta is researching antimicrobial hydrogels for bone healing in Andrés García’s lab.

“This trip to the Resilience site was an exciting experience to meet like-minded Ph.D. students interested in pursuing a career in industry,” DaMotta said. “This was my first exposure to the CTEng students and first time touring a bioindustry site. I was introduced to industry terminology and the operations of industries from the inside through this unique opportunity. My favorite part was talking to current employees about their journey from Ph.D. students to industry and their advice for current students. Everyone was incredibly friendly and truly enjoyed working there. I learned a lot about myself, and I am stepping into my second year more confident in the direction of my future.”

Past companies visited include Genentech, Celgene, Boston Scientific, and Kimberly Clark. Several of our trainees have obtained internships or permanent employment with these companies, highlighting the immense value of industry visits and partnerships.