There are a number of different training paths you can take to find work at biotechnology and pharmaceuticals companies. You can start with an entry-level associate degree in biotechnology or continue with your education to start your career with a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry.

The advanced degree options in pharmaceutical technology range from master's programs in the pharmaceutical chemistry or cosmetic science research to doctoral programs in pharmacy. In addition to pursuing accreditation through formal educational institutions, there are a wide variety of training centers that offer specialized courses and certifications that can add to your professional development.

1. Earn an undergraduate degree in biopharmaceuticals.

2. Get advanced degrees and specialized training in pharmaceutical products.

3. Participate in pharmaceutical company trade groups that provide members with professional development opportunities.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take the entry-level training to get a pharmaceutical degree

The initial training that you receive will help you land one of the many jobs that are available in the pharmaceutical industry. Receive additional training on the job while you continue with your formal education. Look for training that prepares you for work and continues to give you more skills and knowledge. Training is one of the most effective investments you can make in your career.

I recommend: Receive an associate degree in biotechnology from a technical or community college such as Alamance Community College, a member of the North Carolina Community College System focused on training the biotech workforce. Wilkes University offers a bachelor of science degree from its pharmacy college.

Find additional training for pharmaceutical chemistry

In addition to advanced master's and PhD educational training, look for certifications that will open more doors and provide you with specialty skills. Consider taking the training to earn certifications such as the Document Management Certified Professional (DMCP) or the Global Regulatory Affairs Compliance Professional (GRACP).

I recommend: Get an MBA in pharmaceutical management online in your own time from Drexel University. Increase your level of expertise with training to get certification from the Center for Professional Innovation & Education.

Join associations that offer members training in the biotechnology business

Most trade associations offer continuing education and professional development courses for their members. Some groups can guide you to special certification courses in areas such as pharmacotherapy and oncology that will set you apart as you advance in your career.

I recommend: Continue your education through the many seminars and professional development training offered at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Check out the wide choice of online training courses at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take your research and pharma degrees out of the lab and look for some pharmaceutical industry training that will give you opportunities to move into other arenas such as sales and marketing or human resources.

Even though prescription drugs account for about 14 cents of every dollar in health care expenses, the pharmaceutical industry endures intense scrutiny as the sector grows. A pharmaceutical company can partner with biotech companies to aid its development pipeline and potentially hold down research costs. Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals have given us such medical breakthroughs as the use of insulin to treat diabetes.

Essentially, the biotechnology business uses science and technology to harness living organisms (like yeasts or bacteria) or substances (like enzymes) in the manufacturing process. Here, we'll introduce three broad categories of biopharmaceuticals:

1. Synthesizing or engineering proteins and peptides, or identifying cell receptors biopharmaceuticals;

2. Cell and tissue culture, such as tissue scaffolding or vaccine or immune system stimulants, as well as embryo manipulation biopharmaceuticals;

3. Process biology, such as fermentation, bio-processing, bio-leaching, bio-pulping, or bio-bleaching, as alternatives to developing pharmaceutical products.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Work with the leading companies in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology

Research and design with biopharmaceuticals companies can drastically accelerate the development process for many drugs. Using recent knowledge about the human genome, companies in the biotech business can target certain molecules and provide a treatment for diseases more quickly.

I recommend: Aptagen, LLC, a biotech pharmaceutical company concentrating on drug targeting, claims to shave three years off the drug discovery timeline. You can order proteins, enzymes, coenzymes and substrates from Calzyme Laboratories, Inc. online catalog.

Use pharmaceuticals and biotechnology for tissue scaffolding and producing vaccines

New advances in biotech have enabled companies to come up with treatments that stimulate some normal functions of the human body. This can include generating new tissue from defective cells, promoting immune system health and vaccine production, and allowing for embryo manipulation.

I recommend: The New Jersey Center for Biomaterials has been working on tissue regeneration. These treatments range from allowing for new skin to be produced for burn victims to allowing for targeted treatments for degenerative heart conditions. The Annie Appleseed Project is a non-profit organization working on developing a method to stimulate the human body to fight against melanoma cells.

Consult pharmaceutical manufacturers that offer bio-processing technology

Using bio-process technology, some chemical engineering and biotech companies can take advantage of biological materials and processes to manufacture a wide variety of products. These can include medicines, as well as everyday items such as paper.

I recommend: The Broadley-James Corp. has an extensive online catalog of bio-process technology. For agricultural products made from bio-process tech, go to West Coast Marine Bio-Processing Corp. They offer fertilizers made entirely from extracted seaweed.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Watch these two biopharmaceutical fields for future market growth in biotech companies: nanobiotechnology--fabricating microscopic devices to be used in diagnostics or drug delivery, and DNA--such as genetic engineering or gene therapy.

The pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector of the health care industry is exploding, with a tidal wave of information released every day. Whether your interest lies in investing in a biotechnology business, management of a pharmaceutical company or a professional need to stay on top of developments in pharmaceutical research, you can make use of solid Internet sources for pharmaceuticals and biotechnology news and trends to help keep your head above water.

Because there is so much information out there, you'll need to choose carefully when selecting sources of news about biotech companies and pharmaceutical products. Keep these strategies in mind when accessing info about biotech, pharmaceuticals and related industries:

1. Look for headline news feeds from screened sources that provide quality pharmaceuticals and biotechnology information.

2. Choose sources of pharmaceutical research news that will allow you to focus the information you receive.

3. If your interest is investment, select resources that track the financial performance of pharmaceutical manufacturers and biotech companies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get pharmaceuticals and biotechnology news and trends headlines delivered to your desktop

Your time is precious, so let Internet news sources do the searching for you. Quality sources of pharmaceutical news provide continuously updated headlines, and you can register to receive regular email updates, newsletters and RSS feeds.

I recommend: ScienceDaily collates a wide variety of medical, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals headlines on its Pharmacology News page. WorldPharmaNews offers a global perspective, with headlines, email updates and RSS feeds categorized by product, clinical trials, corporate and financial information.

Narrow the focus of the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals information you receive

Select sources of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology information that give you the option of tailoring the news you receive or focusing on a specific sector.

I recommend: BioSpace offers biotech and pharmaceutical news and jobs, customizable by subject, disease and other categories. Pharmaceutical Business Review is just one of the targeted biotech and pharmaceutical newsletters available from Progressive Media Group, which also offers Drug Discovery and Development and other titles.

Select news sources focused on investing in the biotech and pharmaceuticals industry

You'll want to concentrate on financial performance and prospects when seeking investment information about the pharmaceuticals industry. Look for independent news sources that provide reliable data for comparison.

I recommend: BioPharm Insight uses its patented Pharmawire newsgathering tools to provide insight, analysis and sales tracking information on pharmaceuticals manufacturers. BioHealth Investor's Biotech and Medical Business Blog tracks inside information that can become part of your investment strategy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to monitor several sources of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology news and trends in order to get a balanced overview of the industry. You may also wish to check the news pages of biotech companies and pharmaceuticals manufacturers, but keep in mind that these will not necessarily supply objective information.

Biotechnology breaks down processes to the molecular and cellular levels for use in clinical research in medicine. Biotechnology scientific breakthroughs can lead to the development of new pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pain and disease. Many who work in the industry find it to be an exciting and rewarding career. It most certainly takes a degree in pharmaceutics or other scientific fields of study to fully understand biotechnology as well as a considerable amount of practice in the industry. However, consider the following key terms for a basic knowledge.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Biotechnology

Biotechnology refers to an area of study and practice that uses cells and molecular processes to solve problems or make useful products. Biotechnology has many applications, including medical testing and treatment.

I recommend: Check out a time line of important biotechnology events through The Biotech Communications Group. Also, review this list of medical uses for biotechnology from the New Zealand Organisation for Rare Disorders.

Biopharmaceutics

Biopharmaceutics is known as the study of the physical make-up of drugs and the chemicals they contain. Biopharmaceutics also studies how those drug chemicals react within the body.

I recommend: The Amsterdam Center for Drug Research's Division of Biopharmaceutics explains its application of biopharmaceutics to atherosclerosis research. Read through this information from the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research about biopharmaceutics drug classifications.

Nanobiotechnology

Nanobiotechnology combines biotechnology along with the study of single-molecule techniques in science. Nanobiotechnology uncovers helpful uses of molecular mechanisms by utilizing biological processes.

I recommend: Review the techniques used in nanobiotechnology through Cornell University's Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Pharmacotherapy

Pharmacotherapy is used in a broad sense and applies to the use of drugs to treat disease. The term is used commonly in the treatment of mental disorders.

I recommend: Review this Merck article on the effect of placebos, an often studied aspect of pharmacotherapy.

Tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is the act of producing tissue cells from other somatic cells. For example, stem cells from skin or cartilage can be grown outside the body and later transplanted back to the patient.

I recommend: Check out this BioTissue Technologies definition of tissue engineering as used in the regenerative medicine field.

Bioleaching

A process commonly used in biotechnology, bioleaching is the process of extracting metals from ores or soil through bacteria micro-organisms. This process is used frequently in the development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals.

I recommend: Review this information on bioleaching from AZoM Online.