r/biotech

Hi! Looking for some advice.
I started a new role at a small pharma company about 3 weeks ago, and I honestly hate it. I’m on the commercial side of the business and have worked at multiple pharma companies before, so I know the first few weeks/months are usually overwhelming. But I’ve never experienced anything like this.

Some of the issues:
My onboarding has been almost nonexistent. There are no documented processes, SOPs, or training materials.
My manager and teammates frequently give conflicting instructions.
Communication is terrible. My manager will send me a dozen emails asking me to do things with little to no context, then be too busy to answer my questions.
The team dynamic is very negative, and some personalities are difficult to work with.
I was given a heavy workload starting in my first week, despite receiving very little training. When I ask questions,
my teammates act annoyed.
The role requires a ton of travel and evening meetings, neither were ever mentioned during the interview process or in the job description.

Has anyone been in a situation like this? Did it improve after a few months, or did you end up leaving?

I’m ready to start applying to jobs but do not know who will want to interview me after seeing I was at my current job for a month :(

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some honest feedback on what I can do to improve my chances of getting into an entry-level biotech or pharmaceutical manufacturing role.
Here’s my current situation:
I’m currently a Set-Up Operator II at an automotive manufacturing company and have about 4 years of manufacturing experience.
My work involves machine setup, quality checks, troubleshooting, precision measuring tools, following SOPs, and working in a production environment.
I’ve completed OSHA 10 and OSHA 30.
I’m currently taking the BioWork certificate course through Wake Tech to learn GMP, cleanroom practices, documentation, and biotech manufacturing fundamentals.
I’ve updated my resume to better highlight transferable skills like GMP knowledge, SOP compliance, quality systems, root cause analysis, and manufacturing experience.
I’ve been applying to companies like Novo Nordisk, Biogen, FUJIFILM Diosynth, Catalent, KBI Biopharma, Labcorp, and several others in North Carolina.
My goal is to get into biotech manufacturing, ideally in the RTP area. I’m willing to start in an entry-level manufacturing associate or operator position if it gets my foot in the door.
A few questions:
Is there anything on my resume or background that stands out as a weakness?
Are there certifications or skills that would make a noticeable difference beyond BioWork?
Is there a better strategy than simply applying online?
Should I be working with staffing agencies to get my first biotech job?
If you were hiring for an entry-level manufacturing role, what would make someone with my background stand out?
I’m not expecting to skip the line—I know I have to earn it. I just want to make sure I’m focusing my time and effort on the things that actually increase my chances instead of spinning my wheels.
I appreciate any advice from people already working in biotech or pharmaceutical manufacturing. Thanks!

Hello people, I will be moving to Leeds later this month and would like to have some leads on biotech/pharma roles. Since my main focus in the last 1.5 years is on the analytical side of things in an academic setting (LC-MS/MS, HPLC-DAD/ELSD, Prep. LC, and UV spec… for the analysis of pharmaceuticals), I would ideally like to continue in this field, however, I don’t mind pivoting into another field within the industry. I have a Msc in biotechnology from German university, and do not require sponsorship. Any leads, opinions, and recommendations are welcome :)

Do you think Amgen can ever recover from its bad reputation?

Executives told STAT firsthand experience with Claude Science will yield benefits

The protocol establishes that human operational efficiency is limited by mitochondrial information processing. Chronic systemic inflammation—caused by synthetic dietary inputs—induces an "alarm state" in mitochondrial dynamics, which triggers the translocation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) into the nuclear genome (NUMT formation).
Mitigation Strategy: By adhering to a 14-day purity audit, we neutralize the chemical variables that initiate this genomic degradation, thereby preserving the structural integrity of the cell's primary information processors.

The protocol integrates three fundamental biological principles: (1) Evolutionary Simplicity, leveraging the minimalist metabolic efficiency identified in Sukunarchaeum lineages; (2) Neural Resonance, aligning human operational communication with the 2Hz carrier frequency; and (3) Mitochondrial Stability, mitigating NUMT formation through the elimination of industrial metabolic inhibitors. This architecture provides the necessary constraints for human high-performance in extra-planetary environments, transforming the human from a passive occupant into an optimized, self-regulating component of the life-support system

Systemic Optimization: Minimizing metabolic "noise" (systemic inflammation) ensures that the neurological processing is not inhibited by compensatory immune responses. This creates a high-fidelity environment for the 2Hz "carrier frequency" of life, as evidenced by multi-species neural resonance data to align the biology to communication bandwidth with the universal 0.5–4Hz neural integration window

How many years will it take for everyone who was laid off to either find a new job, or quit the field?

I am asking because it feels foolish as a mid career person to job hop, because I am just going to be competing against people with 20 years of experience, who are desparate for work.

What are your thoughts?

23 year biotech veteran here, Director level. Applying for jobs and got an email from an in-house recruiter. They asked me to complete an online assessment test before they would move forward. Out of curiosity I had a look. The first question was 345×13=?. I was flabbergasted. I shut it down immediately. It was just plain insulting and says something about their company culture.

Is this what we have come to now?

A lot of us applied to research programs this year—some were accepted, some were waitlisted, and many were rejected.
One thing I realized during the application process is that there isn’t really a place where students interested in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering can stay connected after everything is over.
So I decided to create BioBridge — a small, completely free, student-led WhatsApp community.
The goal isn’t networking for the sake of networking.
It’s simply to:
• discuss research papers,
• share research opportunities,
• ask questions,
• exchange ideas,
• and support each other’s research journeys.
Whether you were accepted to a program, rejected, or you’re just starting to explore research, you’re welcome.
If you’re interested in joining, comment “Interested” below or send me a DM, and I’ll send you the WhatsApp invitation link.
I’d love to build a community of curious students from around the world. 🧬🌍

Hemophilia can cause bleeding from a cut, or even just a severe impact, especially in the brain, thorax or abdomen. Current treatments include Clotting Factor blood based products; Emicizumab, Hemlibra (Roche); and Gene Therapy Valoctocogene, Roctovian, (approved June 2023).

(Note the durability of dMABs refreshing of a Covid 19 vaccine from Astrazeneca was shown to have persistence in the immune system for up to 72 weeks, approx. 500 days or ~17 months.)

So I am grateful to heaven that I don't have hemophilia Type A but also I thank god for Inovio for the greatest success in improving the lives of these hemophilia-afflicted patients. If this disease can be eliminated, or remediated, then my shares will have done more than return my investment or deliver a profit to me: they will have remediated a dangerous, difficult lifelong condition.

Which may be the first of many life-threatening conditions which could halt or deter the risk of death from GBM (brain) and Throat cancers; cervical and anal HSIL dysplasia tumor, and RRP, a severe growth of papillomas in the throat and lungs. That would be a bigger win than any stock investment could have made. Don't let the Short army attacks deter you from doing a good and just act: Inovio is too important a technology and too well-known to die out: we will endure and we will win over the Haters. Time is on our side. Our research is 40 years in the making. Let it see the light of day.

A lot this month!! Hi, I monitor news about antibodies specifically in the biotech industry. These are the news that I have seen that are of interest from June 2026.

🤝 Incyte to acquire Vega Therapeutics, expanding its hematology portfolio into bleeding disorders in up to $2B deal. VGA039, a novel investigational mAb that targets Protein S in Phase 3 development for von Willebrand disease (VWD). https://investor.incyte.com/news-releases/news-release-details/incyte-acquire-vega-therapeutics-wholly-owned-subsidiary-star

🤝 AbbVie to acquire Apogee Therapeutics in $10.9B deal, adding zumilokibart to their pipeline. The late-stage, half-life extended mAb targeting IL-13 is in development for patients with atopic dermatitis. https://news.abbvie.com/2026-06-22-AbbVie-to-Acquire-Apogee-Therapeutics,-Deepening-Immunology-Portfolio

🤝 J&J to acquire Firefly Bio in $1B deal, expanding oncology pipeline with novel degrader antibody conjugate (DAC) platform for KRAS-driven tumors. https://www.investor.jnj.com/investor-news/news-details/2026/Johnson--Johnson-to-Acquire-Firefly-Bio-Inc--to-Expand-Oncology-Pipeline-with-Novel-Degrader-Antibody-Conjugate-Platform/default.aspx

🤝 Merck KGaA to acquire Bio-Techne for $11.3B, gaining portfolio of cytokines, growth factors, antibodies, and immunoassay kits. https://www.emdgroup.com/en/news/agreement-to-acquire-bio-techne-25-06-2026.html

🤖 Protillion Biosciences announces AI protein drug discovery collaboration with Merck in $510M deal. https://www.protillion.com/protillion-merck-collaboration

💸 Ona Therapeutics raises $86.6M Series B to advance ADCs targeting aggressive and refractory cancer indications into clinical development. https://ona-therapeutics.com/press-release/ona-therapeutics-raises-86m/

🤝 Rallybio Corporation and Avenzo Therapeutics announce merger to advance next-generation oncology therapies including ADCs, and $215M concurrent private placement. https://avenzotx.com/press-releases/rallybio-corporation-and-avenzo-therapeutics-announce-merger-agreement-to-advance-next-generation-oncology-therapies-and-215-million-concurrent-private-placement/

💸 Tavo Biotherapeutics announces $17M Series A to advance novel therapies in glaucoma and retinal disease, including a bispecific targeting both VEGF and an undisclosed protein. https://tavobio.com/#news

🥷 Ethyreal Bio emerges from stealth with $101M Series A to advance ETHY-001, an anti-TSHR antibody for thyroid eye disease and Graves’ disease. https://www.ethyrealbio.com/ethyreal-bio-emerges-from-stealth-with-101-million-in-financing-to-advance-ethy-001-a-potentially-best-in-class-anti-tshr-antibody-for-thyroid-eye-disease-and-graves-disease/

💸 Triveni Bio raises $65M Series C to support TRIV-573, a half-life extended bispecific antibody targeting KLK5/7 and IL-13, into clinical studies. https://triveni.bio/triveni-bio-raises-65-million-series-c-financing-to-expand-scope-of-first-in-class-bispecific-triv-573-clinical-studies-and-drive-next-stage-company-growth/

🔬 Jazz Pharmaceuticals and AbCellera to collaborate on next-generation T-cell engaging multispecific antibodies in potential $876M deal. https://investors.abcellera.com/news/news-releases/2026/Jazz-Pharmaceuticals-and-AbCellera-Announce-Collaboration-to-Discover-Next-Generation-T-cell-Engaging-Multispecific-Antibodies/default.aspx

💸 Memento Medicines launches with $93M Series A to advance Tie2 Agonist and VEGF inhibitor bispecific antibody therapy for retinal diseases. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/06/18/3314508/0/en/memento-medicines-launches-with-93-million-series-a-financing-to-advance-tie2-agonist-and-vegf-inhibitor-bispecific-antibody-therapy-for-retinal-diseases.html

💸 Vedana Therapeutics launches with $46M Series A to advance next-generation migraine therapies: long-acting subcutaneously dosed monoclonal antibodies targeting PACAP. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260617177215/en/Vedana-Therapeutics-Launches-With-%2446-Million-Series-A-Financing-to-Advance-Next-Generation-Migraine-Therapies

💸 Ollin Biosciences gets $330M Series B to advance phase 3 development of OLN324, a VEGF/Ang2 bispecific. https://ollin.bio/press-releases/ollin-biosciences-announces-oversubscribed-330-million-series-b-financing-to-advance-global-phase-3-development-of-oln324-in-dme-and-wet-amd-studies-commencing-in-second-half-of-2026/

💸 RQ Bio announces $115M Series A to advance long-acting antibody RQB01 for full season influenza prevention. https://www.rqbiotechnology.com/news/rq-bio-announces-dollar115-million-pound855-million-series-a-financing-to-advance-long-acting-antibody-programme-rqb01-for-full-season-influenza-prevention

💸 MultiValent Biotherapies launches with $27M Series A to advance development of bivalent peptide-like drug conjugate for prostate cancer. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/06/16/3312516/0/en/multivalent-biotherapies-launches-with-27-million-series-a-financing-to-advance-development-of-targeted-prostate-cancer-drug-conjugate.html

🤖 Chai Discovery announces license agreement with Pfizer for drug discovery with AI with Chai-3 model. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602498831/en/Chai-Discovery-Announces-License-Agreement-with-Pfizer-to-Accelerate-Drug-Discovery-with-AI

🔬 CytomX and Regeneron expand research collaboration for conditional bispecific therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, to a potential $4B total. https://ir.cytomx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/cytomx-announces-expansion-strategic-research-collaboration

🔬 BioArctic and Lilly sign research and collaboration agreement, for platform with the potential to actively transport antibodies across the blood-brain barrier, in up to $800M deal. https://www.bioarctic.com/en/bioarctic-and-lilly-sign-research-and-collaboration-agreement-combining-lilly-compound-with-bioarctics-braintransporter-technology/

💵 Antengene announces license agreement with K2 Therapeutics for two assets, including ATG-106, a preclinical CDH6 x CD3 bispecific TCE, in $1.96B deal. https://www.antengene.com/newsinfo/477

💸 Bionyra Pharma launches with $165M Series A to advance clinical stage pipeline of half-life extended mono and multispecific antibodies for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. https://bionyra.com/bionyra-pharma-launches-with-165-million-oversubscribed-series-a-to-advance-clinical-stage-pipeline-of-next-generation-biologics-for-immune-mediated-inflammatory-diseases/

💸 Oblenio Bio gets $62M Series B to advance tri-specific T-cell engager LBL‑051 for autoimmune diseases into clinical development. https://www.obleniobio.com/oblenio-closes-62million-seriesb-to-advance-tri-specific-t-cell-engager-for-autoimmune-diseases

💵 TrueLab Biopharmaceutical announces license agreement with Bionyra Pharma for 2 monoclonal and bispecific antibodies for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases valued up to $985M. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/truelab-biopharmaceutical-announces-license-agreement-with-bionyra-pharma-for-two-next-generation-monoclonal-and-bispecific-antibodies-for-immune-mediated-inflammatory-diseases-valued-up-to-985-million-302804996.html

🤝 Standard BioTools and Treeline Biosciences to merge into Treeline Biosciences, advancing a pipeline including targeted therapy antibody-drug conjugates. https://investors.standardbio.com/news-releases/news-release-details/standard-biotools-and-treeline-biosciences-announce-merger

💵 METiS TechBio and Boulevard Bio enter license agreement for trispecific T-cell engager in $1.6B deal. The antibody was discovered via METiS’s AI-driven platform. https://www.metistechbio.com/en/qyxw/245.html

Currently work at a CDMO for the last 5 years. Was promoted to a supervisor 2.5 years ago in the technical operations department. I have worked in a similar role at a previous company for the 5 years before that as an independent contributor, and before that I worked in a mfg lab doing protein purification. I have been approached by the mfg director to fill a downstream mfg manager role for the site. I am considering it, as have worked with the director previously for about 12 years now and they are great to work for. It technically is a promotion as I’ll be going from supervisor to manager, but my dilemma is I feel like going back to Mfg is a bit of a step backwards in a way. No real question but mostly looking for any insight or thoughts.

Hello all,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I have been applying for the last month and in the midst of applying, I realized that one of the titles I thought I held was never firmly confirmed with HR. However I have been putting it on my resume and just received an on-site interview for a position that I would love to take and run to the hills with. When I learned of this title discrepancy I immediately removed it from my resume and kept applying but now I am worried if I am lucky enough to get an offer that this information will be revealed and will look like intentionally lied.

To provide further context, I was a laboratory manager (3 years) and I thought I was promoted to a senior scientist (1 year). I was then officially (confirmed) promoted to a principal scientist and have held that title for 1 year. On my resume I put Laboratory manager (3 years), senior scientist (1 year), and then principal scientist (1 year), however based on HR records it will show laboratory manager (4 years), principal scientist (1 year). Is there anything I can/should do if I am lucky enough to get an offer? My supervisor said that he would be willing to write a letter that said I assumed senior scientist responsibilities and was functioning as a senior scientist even though that is not reflected in my HR records. I can't believe I missed this huge discrepancy, I overlooked it because I received the salary compensation but not the official title. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all, have a great weekend and good luck to all still hunting.

The weekly megathread to vent and rant about everything and anything!

I'm currently applying to entry level jobs, specifically lab assistant roles, in industry and I got a few interviews, but I don't have references and am unsure where to ask this question this so I thought of asking it here!

To be transparent I have never held a job or internship in industry before, I only have academic experience and random side jobs that I can't get references from as it was a while back and none of my previous supervisors have responded to me reaching out about it. I have worked on 2 projects in my undergrad years under 2 different professors but one of them retired and the other one I don't think liked me. I've tried getting in contact with the retired professor to no avail and the other I am hesitant to ask for a reference from because he did not seem to like me and I do not want to ruin my chances of a job(if it does get to that point of asking for reference after however many round of interviews lol).

Outside of these two I don't have anyone who can speak on the lab experience that I gained through these projects. Also another one of my worries is that since both of these were unpaid, there wouldn't even be evidence of me having these positions on a background check so a reference would be all that I have.

I think I am just really worried the more I think about it and am unsure what the process will be like and am scared of how much it will weigh on me getting a job or not in the long run. If anyone has gotten an entry level job in industry despite not knowing who to put as references in the beginning of the job search I would love to learn about your experience and how you were able to do it!

Thank you.

I just got laid off this week for the first time in my career. Background has been in QC and manufacturing.

I was just wondering what others have been doing besides applying to jobs. Are there any skills you are trying to develop in your free time?

I’ve already updated my resume and have applied to jobs but honestly I’m not hopeful I’ll get anything soon given the current market. I’ve also reached out to a few contacts that may be able to help out.

Besides doom scrolling job listings and applying to relevant ones, how do some of you structure your day, what do you do to destress from your situation? Any skills you’ve been working on? General advice for others unemployed in this market?