Established in 2024 by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) as the Utah Workforce for Biotherapeutics (UWB) Deep Tech Initiative, the Department of Chemical Engineering’s Biomanufacturing Program is designed to equip students with hands-on experience in this growing field.
Biotherapeutics are a cutting-edge class of medicines produced by living cells; as such, they require highly specialized facilities, equipment, and techniques to ensure a viable product. Such products currently include precisely targeted proteins, such as monoclonal antibodies, which are crucial for many personalized therapies, but they are far from the only biologics these methods can produce.
Now, USHE is expanding the scope of its biomanufacturing interests, and the Department of Chemical Engineering’s Biomanufacturing Program is ready to meet this new demand.
As part of the State’s 2025 Engineering Initiative funding announced in July, USHE has awarded the Program much-needed ongoing support. This investment will enable a new emphasis within the Biomanufacturing Program on Agile Advanced Manufacturing of High-Value Products, expanding the range of biological products students are trained to work with. It will also better prepare graduates for rapidly evolving biomanufacturing industries, where the ability to respond to—and even anticipate—demand for new high-value products is increasingly critical.
Professor Misha Skliar, who leads the Program, notes that “At its core, biomanufacturing is about producing valuable proteins and other biomolecules at scale by growing specialized, engineered cells in controlled bioreactors. Once the cells have done their work, the desired molecules are carefully extracted and purified—a step we often refer to as ‘harvesting.’ Every stage of the process must adhere to rigorous sterility standards to ensure both quality and safety.”
“There are a lot of fundamentals that are shared amongst applications in biomanufacturing,” says Tom Zangle, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Co-Director of the Biomanufacturing Program. “Our program gives students hands-on experience of how to make and isolate proteins from cells, so whether those proteins are going to be used as a therapy, or in a mining application, or part of a supplement, or part of a recycling process, there is a lot of overlap.”
“Biomining” is just one of the new technologies enabled by biomanufactured products. There, engineered enzymes are being used to separate critical minerals from mined ore, a process that is normally energy-intensive and highly polluting.
With so many potential applications, flexibility is key. The DeepTech Program’s curriculum will therefore focus on automation and AI’s role in transitioning from one bioproduct to another.
The initial USHE funds will be used to expand the Biomanufacturing Laboratory’s physical footprint and acquire essential equipment, and support the program’s continued growth. Ongoing funding will directly support instruction by providing resources for teaching personnel as well as the consumables required for hands-on biomanufacturing training.
This growth has also strengthened the Program and Laboratory’s capacity to collaborate with faculty across campus.