Making Downstream Process Development Realistic

In 2019, two students in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Biotechnology program (MBP) traveled to the United Kingdom to spend six months interning with UCB. This past November, while still in the UK, Sanjana Rao shared her perspective about the internship and experience, including what she was learning from the opportunity and how she thought she'd be able to apply lessons learned to the rest of her time in MBP as well as her professional pursuits after graduation.

This past month, Anita Huang took time to reflect on her time at UCB and why she felt pursuing the internship was the best decision she ever made as a MBP student. 

How would you describe your internship experience? 

This is an experience that you do not want to miss. It is a very fun and rewarding learning experience. Coming from a background in molecular biology, I had no experience in process development other than what I’ve learned in the classroom. I am grateful to have had supportive and knowledgeable colleagues at UCB to train and help me throughout my internship. It gave me a much better idea about process development and what I want to pursue for my future career in biotechnology. 

What was it about this opportunity that appealed to you? 

UCB is a well-established biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing antibody-based therapeutics. I wanted to do my internship at UCB so I could have a better understanding of process development roles and how they interact with other departments. Secondly, it is based in the UK, and I thought it would be interesting to see what the biopharmaceutical industry looks like outside of the US. Lastly, I wanted to take this opportunity to spend a good amount of time exploring and experiencing different cultures. 

What was it that you were working on for UCB? 

My project was to evaluate Protein A binding via VH3 binding regions of antibody-based therapeutics. Protein A resin is commonly used in the protein purification process, and VH3 is the secondary binding region of an antibody. UCB has a variety of antibodies that contain VH3 binding regions, however, variability in product quality and capacity were seen with a range of different Protein A resins. Eighteen Protein A resins with different properties were generated by the leading resin suppliers. My goal was to assess the factors contributing to the highest product quality and capacity. 

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the internship? 

The biggest challenge I had was probably troubleshooting. Most of my experiments involved chromatography, and it might take a full day to complete one run, so it could take days to figure out what might be causing a problem. 

What did you learn from the experience? 

Asking questions is extremely important. I was new to downstream process development, and there were lots of times when I wasn’t sure if I was doing things right. It is important to consult and ask colleagues for advice. 

How do you think this opportunity will complement the additional experiences you've had through MBP? 

What we learned in class is to understand the science behind the process, and this internship helped make this process realistic. I have a better understanding of process development after completing six months of my internship at UCB. 

What are you hoping to do professionally after graduation? 

I would like to pursue a career in downstream process development. 

What would you say to a MBP student considering a similar internship opportunity in the future? 

I would highly recommend it. It is a good opportunity to have a better view of the biotechnology industry, and you will learn a lot from your work. It is also a good opportunity to take a step back and figure out if you want to pursue a career in industry. 

Is there anything else you'd like to add? 

I would say it is probably the best decision I have ever made as an MBP student. I appreciate that MBP offers me this extraordinary opportunity to learn and explore.