NEWARK, Feb 22, 2018 – The New Jersey Innovation Institute, an NJIT corporation, is collaborating with Celgene Corporation, a global biopharmaceutical company, to train its workforce in the manufacture of a new generation of cell therapy technologies to be produced in Celgene’s facilities in Warren and Summit, NJ.
Subject-matter experts from Celgene are collaborating with NJII to develop a customized curriculum focused on training in the scientific and engineering fundamentals of cell therapy processing and aseptic technique. The program is aimed at both current Celgene employees and as part of Celgene’s commitment to New Jersey workforce development and to prospective employees looking to expand their skill sets and enter the healthcare industry.
Dr. Haro Hartounian, NJII’s executive director, biotechnology and pharmaceutical innovation said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Celgene on this exciting instructional project. The pace of development in cell therapy is unprecedented in the biopharmaceutical industry. It is imperative that manufacturing teams are proficient not only in in the latest processing techniques, but that they also acquire a basic understanding of the underlying science. By drawing on subject matter experts from NJIT and other universities who also bring extensive industry experience, our instructional team is ideally structured to meet the needs of the biopharmaceutical industry to prepare employees for future product launches.”
“We are looking forward to the positive impact this collaboration will have on our ability to train and on-board staff as we ramp-up operations in our new Cellular Immunotherapy Manufacturing facility in Summit, NJ,” said Mayo Pujols, Vice President of CAR T Operations and Technology at Celgene. “By working with NJII, we hope to increase the speed by which we develop our workforce.”
About NJII
The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is an NJIT corporation that applies the intellectual and technological resources of the state’s science and technology university to challenges identified by industry partners. Through its Innovation Labs (iLabs), NJII brings NJIT expertise to key economic sectors, including healthcare delivery systems, bio-pharmaceutical production, civil infrastructure, defense and homeland security, and financial services.
