Is Rhode Island Ready for the Biotechnology Revolution?

By Arliss Ryan

In the late 18th century, Rhode Island was at the hub of the American Industrial Revolution, a time of radical socioeconomic change that forever altered the way we work and live. As we enter the 21st century, the world is poised on the brink of another revolution with the potential to effect similarly dramatic changes, and once again, it’s happening here in Rhode Island. Since the early 1990s, biotechnology firms have been moving into Rhode Island and New England, bringing with them a sweeping vision of new drugs and technologies that can prevent and cure diseases, put food on the tables of hungry people around the world, and improve health and nutrition for all. But the most important factor in this revolution is the human one, people with the education and skills to bring these products to market and ensure the promises of biotechnology are fulfilled.

"After two decades of research, we have over 300 products in the biotech pipeline that we know will work," says Gregory Paquette, director of Clinical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology Programs at the University of Rhode Island (URI). "The next step is to set up and staff the facilities to manufacture these products. One of the biggest roadblocks for biotech is that it’s moving so fast and evolving so rapidly that we don’t yet have enough people with the training to operate these facilities. Here at URI, we’re offering new programs and curricula to prepare graduates for this very specialized field."

Indeed, the pool of academic talent is one reason biotechnology firms began locating in New England more than a decade ago. Boston University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology already have well-established reputations, especially in the fields of medicine and health care. Brown University’s biomedical research adds another slice to the pie. With nationally recognized programs in oceanography, marine and environmental affairs, health care, pharmacy, and agriculture, as well as research in cancer, Lyme disease, and infectious diseases, URI complements the other institutions and stands to be a major player in many areas of biotechnology. Just as Silicon Valley’s combination of top-notch academic institutions and innovative high-tech firms made it synonymous with computers, New England could become the nexus for biotechnology in the years ahead.

To meet the need for training, URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) began about six years ago to develop courses specific to the biotechnology field. CELS now offers a biotechnology option within the bachelor of science microbiology program that trains students to work in research and development, biotechnology operations, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs. Internships, awarded on a competitive basis, are available at companies including Amgen, Dow, Abbott, Genzyme, Pfizer, and HybriGene and have already led to jobs.

Because of the rapid growth of the biotechnology manufacturing industry in the region, a bachelor of science degree in biotechnology manufacturing has also been approved for introduction in the fall. This program will introduce students to biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes in a new biotechnology lab funded by a $300,000 grant from the R.I. Human Resource Investment Council.

Paquette points out that this focus is in keeping with URI’s historic mission as a Land Grant university, charged with providing training in those fields that the state’s economy requires. With jobs waiting to be filled, biotechnology firms in Rhode Island are depending on URI to produce a steady stream of graduates to staff their facilities.

"Biotech is a professional, highly regulated industry that requires specific training and skills," says Paquette. "Companies like Amgen and Dow can’t afford to run their own extensive training programs. They need to hire people who can hit the ground running."

For this reason, they’re eager to partner with URI in the educational process. Indeed, CELS’ new academic programs have been designed in consultation with biotechnology companies. Providing students with access to state-of-the-art biotechnology equipment offers another opportunity for partnership. Biotechnology isn’t cheap, so enabling students to gain experience on the latest equipment in company labs saves the university a costly investment in expensive equipment and maintenance. Finally, in addition to CELS faculty, students benefit from instruction by adjunct professors who are professionals already working in the biotechnology industry. Their input help ensures that classroom work stays current with the knowledge and rapid advances occurring in the field.

For the graduate, employment opportunities abound. Biotechnology manufacturing facilities need research scientists, engineers, instrumentation technicians, quality assurance staff, and equipment operators, as well as personnel in administration, human resources, public relations, and marketing and sales. Biotechnology also has the potential to attract older and nontraditional students who are seeking to upgrade their education and enter a new career field. In order to serve this latter population, CELS is exploring ways to build on the professional programs already in place at URI’s College of Continuing Education in Providence.

"Generally, when you say ‘manufacturing,’ people think it’s dirty and low paying," says Paquette. "This is just the opposite. Biotech is a clean, high-paying industry, and it needs a lot of people at all different levels. So if you have any interest in biology, there’s a place for you."

Amgen is one company eagerly looking to hire those graduates. The world’s largest biotechnology firm, with total product sales of $3.5 billion in 2001, Amgen is headquartered in California. In July 2002, it purchased another biotechnology firm, Immunex, and acquired its 250,000-square-foot plant in West Greenwich, R.I. The plant is designed for the manufacture of ENBREL® (etanercept), a biologic therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Approximately 650 people are currently employed at the plant, a number that is expected to rise to 750. A second, 500,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is now under construction at the same location. The new facility will begin staffing in late 2003 and will eventually provide another 750 jobs. Together, the two manufacturing plants are expected to comprise the largest cell culture manufacturing center in the world.

"Amgen expects to become one of the largest employers in Rhode Island," says Kathleen Retterson, Amgen vice president and general manager. "In addition to manufacturing ENBREL, our West Greenwich plant will be the site for product testing and release of ENBREL manufactured by other sites as well. The critical issue is that thousands of people suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. We’ll need new plants to meet that demand."

For the Rhode Island economy, that translates to a boom in jobs, not only for those with scientific degrees but in construction and other trades. Because manufacturing biotechnology products is far more complicated than producing traditional pharmaceuticals, each new drug requires a different manufacturing process and a separate facility that can meet stringent health and safety regulations. Amgen’s West Greenwich plant for manufacturing ENBREL, for example, required the design and installation of hundreds of pieces of equipment, including eight commercial-scale bioreactors. The plant has 25 miles of piping and approximately 240 miles of electrical wire. The potential economic impact of biotechnology becomes even more astounding when it’s recalled that ENBREL is just one of those 300 products in the biotechnology pipeline ready for commercial development.

Retterson notes that employing people in these high-paying jobs leads to a cascade of economic benefits because they pay taxes and support smaller businesses. The presence of biotechnology firms also draws still more intellectual capital to the region to partake of rewarding careers. For URI, an area of particular economic benefit is the royalties and licensing fees that could result from research partnerships with biotechnology firms.

"Anybody who can spell ‘economic development’ knows biotech is the wave of the future," says Paquette. "It may well be the salvation of the New England economy."

But there’s also competition, Paquette warns. Ireland and Belgium are two countries with a strong interest in biotechnology. If Rhode Island and New England are to maintain their lead and reap the benefits of this burgeoning technology, it will require a concerted effort and strong collaboration between the state governments, their business communities, and their educational institutions. For URI that includes a fundamental challenge to recruit and train stellar students in biotechnology and to pursue the research to ensure responsible use of this powerful technology. As with the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, it is not ultimately machines or technology but human talent that will bring about the next era of dramatic changes in our world. 

—Arliss Ryan is a Freelance Writer who worked with the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences to develop this article.