Biotechnology

Announcement:

• The Biomanufacturing B.S. Degree Program will launch in the Spring of 2026.

• The application portal will open in September 2025
• New course: Biotech 006 - Biotech Quality (and Regulatory Affairs) - Fall 2025
• New course: Biotech 102 - Cell Culture - Spring 2026

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is a field within Biological Science that employs the use of biological systems to develop products and services to improve the quality of life. It is where biological science intersects with engineering & business, and it has overarching impacts on many other disciplines, including economics, policy, and social justice. There are six major applications of Biotechnology (Gupta V., et al. 2016):

1. Medicine (Red Biotechnology) - Production of biotherapeutics (small peptides, nucleic acids, monoclonal antibodies, and BiTEs), genome sequencing, various applications of genome editing technology, molecular diagnostics, gene therapy, CAR T (cell) therapy, and medical devices.
2. Agriculture (Green Biotechnology) - Development of Genetically engineered crops (golden rice, drought, and salt resistant crops), fertilizer-producing microbes, and plant pathogen diagnostics.
3. Marine (Blue Biotechnology) - Cultivation of macro and microalgae, as well as other marine organisms for alternative food and industrial products.
4. Industrial (White Biotechnology) - Production of chemicals (dyes, plastic substitutes, cosmetics, and even snowboards!) for industrial purposes.
5. Food Biotechnology (the oldest Biotechnology) - Production of Bread, Beer, Wine, yogurt, and other genetically engineered probiotics. The development of plant-based and cell-based meat alternatives. 
6. Environmental Sustainability - Development of plastic-degrading enzymes, pollution-reducing organisms, and soil microbe engineering.

Biotechnology enables imagination to become a reality. There is still much to be done and there are a lot of entrepreneurial opportunities in the Biotech space as well! The Bioeconomy is estimated to contribute up to $4 trillion annually over the next 10 years (Congressional Research Service, 2022). Are you ready to join the movement and be a part of the solution?

Biotech Careers

Our training program prepares students for an entry-level laboratory position in industry as well as academic research institutions. Although most people start at the bench as a research associate or laboratory technician, there are a lot of opportunities to move up as well as move beyond the bench into positions in project management, supply chain & warehouse, sales, regulatory & compliance, as well as field works. Biotech-careers.org is a great resource to learn more about various Biotech careers as well as Biotech-related jobs that are available locally.

Do you have any questions?

Contact Information

Check out our Instagram (@aspire.biotech) to get a glimpse of our lab atmosphere.

Get to know our Program Director.

Biotech News & Events

1. Pierce's Biotech students went to Washington D.C. to present their projects and lead spotlight session at the 2024 ATE PI meeting. Read the story here.
2. Pierce Receives $2 Million Community Project Fund to Develop a Baccalaureate Degree Program in Biomanufacturing. Read the story here.
3. Pierce hosted Dr. Arati Prabhakar, the Director of the Office for Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Read the story here.
4. Pierce hosted the first Annual Biotechnology Symposium in June 2023. Read the post here.