Talent Gap
| By Drs. Peter Zandstra and Michael May
Tackling
the Talent Gap
in the Cell and Gene Therapy Industry
F
or those of us who have been following and working in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) field for a significant number of years, this is an exciting time. The current global market for regenerative medicine is US$36B and forecasted to grow to reach US$49.41B by 2021. With 977 clinical trials in cell, gene and tissue therapy underway worldwide at the close of the second quarter of 2018 , CGT treatments and regenerative medicine-based technologies have reached a level of momentum that industry,
investors, the health-care system, regulators and the media are taking very seriously. A “tipping point” has emerged with the seminal approval of Novartis’ Kymriah in the U.S. and Europe, its USD$475,000 list price by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the growing catalogue of highvalue acquisitions in the sector. To meet the increasing demand for newly-approved and upcoming therapies, there is still a long inventory of challenges to overcome, from manufacturing, supply chain, regulatory, reimbursement, market
accessibility and more. To address these challenges, we need smart, talented, experienced engineers, scientists and business leaders. Because the industry is still relatively new, there is a shortage of these people. To maintain momentum, we need to get serious about training. Canada’s largest biotechnology company, STEMCELL Technologies, says it has average annual growth of 20 per cent and anticipates hiring 4,000 highly skilled people in science and technology and other professions over the next 10 years. October/November 2018 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS 13
