Case: Well equipped for the future

Denise Neumann felt confident that she was well prepared for a job in the Pharma industry upon graduating from DTU. After completing her BSc in biochemistry from University of Copenhagen, Denise decided to opt for DTU's MSc in pharmaceutical design and engineering as she felt it mirrored the real world more closely.

“Biochemistry is very much directed towards basic science, and it was hard for me to see how I could fit into an industrial position with this background. Also, it is much harder to do your master's on biochemistry in collaboration with a company. On the Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering MSc programme you are guaranteed the chance to do a company-based master's project. This is a great plus”, she says.

Denise did her master's project at ALK-Abelló A/S. This company develops products for the treatment and prevention of alergies.

”My task was to optimize an early step in the production of a tablet-based vaccine against house dust mite allergy. The aim was to establish a method which reduces production time while at the same time fulfilling GMP demands, scale up, etc.”

A major part of the work involves testing that the end product is not in any way changed, compared to the approved product produced by the existing methods. To do this, ten different certified analytical methods were employed in the laboratories of ALK-Abellós A/S.

As an introduction to the master's project, Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering MSc students work on an integrated company-based pre-project—allowing the student to get a feel for the project, to get to know the methods, lab rules, background literature etc.

In collaboration with the industry

ALK -Abelló is positive about the Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering master's students, says the supervisor for Denise Neumann, Jakob Hjortkjær. He himself has a MSc in biotechnology from DTU, and is quite envious of the current MSc students in pharmaceutical design and engineering:

“It is so great for the students that every effort is made to ensure that a company-based master's project is available for them. This is very important as it gives the student unique and invaluable industry experiences—completely different form doing a university-based master, as I did when I did my MSc”, says Jakob.

The Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering master's programme is indeed initiated and developed in collaboration with the Pharma industry says Head of Studies, Professor Peter Heegaard from DTU Vet:

”We simply asked a number of companies what they would like the ideal candidate to look like, and the response was that they were looking for candidates with deep and relevant expertise within a specific part of the pharma process, while at the same time having sound knowledge of the basics of the whole pharma process. Also, the students should have a feel for interdisciplinary team work—which is an integrated part of drug development—and for the interplay between research, production, and commercialization.”

No less than six DTU departments collaborate on the Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering master. This ensures that a wide range of relevant courses are offered to the students, allowing them—irrespectively of their specialization—to gain a broad knowledge of the pharma drug development process.

At the same time the candidates have a deep and solid knowledge of the subject area of their specialization.

Peter Heegaard stresses the advantage and importance of the diversity of the backgrounds of the MSc students—including BSc's in e.g. Biotechnology, Technical Biomedicine, and Biochemistry.

”We make them work in cross-disciplinary teams in order to emulate the multidisciplinary environment in modern pharmaceutical companies. It also develops communication skills—which are of vital importance to graduates hoping to make a career in the pharma industry.”

Solution-oriented graduate

The study management has continuous contact with the pharma companies, and they are present during several stages thorughout the master programme.

”Virtually all courses use guest lecturers from the industry—letting the students know how the theories and technologies are used in real life. It is very cool to get an impression of how the things that you learn on the MSc programme are actually used in practice”, says Denise.

Working at ALK-Abelló has confirmed the usefulness of all the new knowledge Denise has acquired during her MSc programme:

”We really learn about the things that the industry needs. We hear about all the phases in the Pharma industry—from research and development to documentation and quality control. This is all important knowledge. For example, if you get a job in product development you will know what has happened with the product before it reaches you, and you also know what will happen to it later (formulation, clinical studies, tec.).”

Denise has used her elective courses to specialize in organic and biological chemistry.

”However, my broad knowledge enables me to become an important connecting link between different departments in the company. The Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering master has given me a completely new way of thinking, making me more focused on solving problems. I feel really well prepared for a smooth transition to a job in industry.”

The Head of Studies also feels reassured that the candidates are ready for attractive jobs in the pharmaceutical industry:

”The close and constructive contact with the companies prepares the candidates to more quickly and efficiently use their professional skills in the pharma industry,” concludes Professor Heegaard.