RNA - Genetherapys
2023-2024 Academic Year

From November 2023 to July 2024, the first edition of PharmaTech Academy completed a training program with lessons developed across two specific units, workshops, and internships led by academic and industrial experts. The program combined two specialized course units with workshops, laboratory sessions, and project-based internships, all led by experts from top academic institutions and leading companies, including University of Naples Federico II, University of Milan, University of Padua, AstraZeneca, and others.

 

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Project Work

With an abundance of newly acquired and shared knowledge, the class of 2024 embarked on 8-week project-based internships hosted across 16 different partner companies. This Project Work took place at entities such as biotech manufacturing organizations that develop gene therapies and nucleic acids, biopharma product testing sites, companies that build drug delivery systems, as well as the National Center Foundation to gain insight into the regulations the administrative body oversees in this complex project.

2023-2024 Project Work Partners

Composition

Students were selected from across Italy — including Campania, Veneto, Calabria, Lazio, Sicily, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna and brought with them a range of academic backgrounds in chemical sciences, pharmacy, biotechnology, and biology.

With a notable gender ratio of 77% women to 23% men, the strong female representation is especially significant as PharmaTech Academy is proud to contribute to closing the gender gap in science and innovation by actively supporting women in STEM, particularly in advanced fields such as gene therapy and RNA-based drug development. The program fosters an inclusive and empowering environment, preparing future leaders equipped to shape the future of biomedicine.

Thanks to support from the National Center, all students received full scholarships, with enrollment and tuition fees fully waived — ensuring access based solely on merit and potential.

Graduation and Career Placement

The 2024 class of PharmaTech students celebrated their Graduation Day in the presence of friends, family, academic leaders, and local authorities—marking the launch of Italy’s first training program dedicated to preparing professionals across all phases of gene therapy and RNA-based drug development.

Within a year of completing the program, graduates have transitioned into roles across the following sectors:

  • 48% in private industry
  • 37% in academic research
  • 15% in other professional field
PharmaTech Graduation Day 2024