Business of bioanalysis: Bioanalysis Zone panel discussion

General interest

This year Bioanalysis Zone and Bioanalysis went to the 11th WRIB meeting in Los Angeles (CA, USA) and had the opportunity to host a panel discussion with experts from leading pharmaceutical companies and CROs to discuss several contemporary topics. These included emerging technologies; recruiting and talent development; and mergers and acquisitions. We thank our contributing experts Scott Fountain (Charles River Laboratories), Zamas Lam (QPS), Roger Hayes (MPI Research), Yan Zhang (Bristol-Myers Squibb), Ola Saad (Genentech), and Afshin Safavi (BioAgilytix) for their time and thoughtful contributions.

Over the next few weeks we will feature video footage from this panel discussion on Bioanalysis Zone, including panel discussions on the following topics:

  • Investing in emerging bioanalytical technologies – when is too soon and when is too late? Acquisition of new tools to address unmet analytical needs requires practical considerations, such as platform reliability, scalability from discovery to the regulated environment and total cost of ownership. This includes hiring and training appropriate subject matter experts, managing software validation and accurately reading the bioanalytical marketplace.
  • Managing the pipeline of bioanalytical talent and staff, including recruiting, training and retaining key analytical experts. Universities are not the singular source generating talent in bioanalysis skill sets. Beyond compensation, continuous education, cross-training, job rotations, and customized recognition models, within the laboratory, are critical to enticing and retaining ‘the best’ in our CRO and pharmaceutical organizations.
  • Mentorship of colleagues in the bioanalytical sciences, which has evolved from a data generating role to a multidisciplinary science over the years. Bioanalysis as a path to broader leadership opportunities requires mentorship across different areas – science, the drug development process, leadership and emotional ‘soft skills’. This is particularly relevant in the CRO-pharmaceutical partnership when working with diverse teams, colleagues and clients.
  • The impact of mergers, acquisitions, and organic growth on bioanalytical sciences. The scientific community in which we work goes beyond affiliation, movement of bioanalytical scientists and talent between CRO, pharmaceutical and instrument vendors. The business is robust, while management of corporate culture is critical.

Please click the links below to view the full length videos of the panel discussion: