Mind The Cell And Gene Gap

By Anshul Mangal And Tony Khoury

A 2018 study by Deloitte suggested that more than 2.4 million manufacturing jobs in the US would remain unfilled in 2028 because of the widening – and often generational – skills gap. This approaching pain point may sting particularly badly in the emerging cell and gene therapy sector, where there is already a shortage of skilled people. Put bluntly, without further training and a boost in headcount, we will see a bottleneck in the rollout of advanced medicines that could ultimately cost the lives of patients.

Proposing solutions is easy enough, but doing something is harder. When considering the cell and gene skills gap at home and abroad, we have a favorite online adage at Project Farma that we return to again and again: “Teach me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll learn.”