Wistar Institute has gained a new employer partner for its biomedical technician training program as VintaBio has now joined the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative for the program, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal. 

As part of the collaboration, the biomedical technician training program will aim to prepare and place 10 graduates in roles at VintaBio’s gene manufacturing site at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

The Wistar biomedical technician training program was launched in 2022 after a study conducted by Econsult Solutions found about 10,500 people in the area work at cell and gene therapy companies or at contract manufacturing organizations, biopharma companies, research organizations, or hospitals in the fields. 

The number represented a 127% increase from the job total calculated in a similar study conducted in 2020.

The study concluded that while Philadelphia will likely remain a leading cell and gene therapy research and development hub, it will increasingly become a commercialization and manufacturing center creating job opportunities at all levels, including those not requiring a four-year degree.

The 22-week paid training program will start at The Wistar Institute with 10 weeks of evening classes focused on foundation curriculum in cellular and molecular biology, followed by a full-time hands-on laboratory orientation, then transition to a 10-week externship at VintaBio’s site.

Read more about the new partnership between Wistar and VintaBio at the Philadelphia Business Journal.

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