Master thesis at Testa Center opened international doors
“Being able to work as a master's student at Testa Center was an incredibly positive experience that continues to generate value even in my current career,” says Triinu Linkgreim, today a researcher at Swiss biotech company Celonic AG.
(Image removed) Triinu Linkgreim did her master thesis at Testa Center
At Testa Center, researchers and teachers of the Faculty of Pharmacy have access to the industrial environment and expertise required to take innovations and students to the next level. The center, located at Cytiva's site in Uppsala, was inaugurated in 2018, and recently the collaboration agreement with Uppsala University was extended for another two years.
“We provide high-quality laboratory equipment and expertise in biological production and facilitate both research projects and educational activities. Here you can try the potential of a new idea at an early stage, and several groups have already discovered the great value in pursuing projects with guidance and continuous feedback from our specialists,” says Jesper Hedberg, operations manager at Testa Center.
Sara Mangsbo, research director in immuno-oncology, is one of the researchers who has located operations at Testa Center. Recently, her team completed the initial scaling-up of a protein that may be of major importance for the ability to vaccinate against cancer cells. The collaboration with Testa Center saved the group large resources and provided important knowledge.
“The production process remains a challenge all the way from the laboratory, through the clinical trials until delivery in the event of approval. At Testa Center, we have learned a great deal about both upscaling and what it takes to turn our innovation into a finished product. These are experiences that will be of great value also in my role as a teacher at Uppsala University and to build future competencies,” says Sara Mangsbo.
Triinu Linkgreim, a former master's student in applied biotechnology, performed parts of her master thesis at Testa Center. With the ambition to gain skills of relevance to industry already during her education, her interest was aroused when Sara Mangsbo's team announced that they were preparing to scale up a bioprocess.
(Image removed) Triinu Linkgreim on site at Testa Center
“It provided me the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technology and a wide range of tasks. It turned out to be a lot to learn, many responsibilities and, above all, an incredibly positive experience. The opportunity to interact with experts at both academia and industry gave me important insights into both scientific processes and my future career,” states Triinu Linkgreim.
Today, Triinu works with biopharmaceutical process development at Swiss company Celonic AG. She takes part in both planning and execution, and states that her time at the Testa Center was a strong contributor factor to being offered her current position.
“For my employer, it was important that I could work independently from the start, and my experience from Testa Center makes me feel very confident in my skills, which I think is not always the case for a young scientist. Next, I hope to implement the knowledge I gained in fibro-chromatography in my company's operations, being a technology I am convinced will play an important future role in our field.
At Testa Center, there are far-reaching discussions about how to continue the development of educational activities. Already today, Cytiva's experts take active part in both lectures and laboratory sessions, and as soon as pandemic restarictions allow, students will once again be offered guided tours through the center's high-tech environments.
“Our focus is on shortening the distance from idea to societal benefit, and we do this by creating optimal conditions for biological innovation projects. To succeed, curiosity about the future is necessary, and we are currently aiming to sharpen our services towards frontline research in digitalisation, which is a field moving fast forward. At Testa Center, there is simply a lot to look forward to in the coming years,” says Jesper Hedberg.
Facts
- Testa center is Sweden's test bed and innovation center in bioprocess technology for researchers, students and companies who want to test and scale up innovations in the production of biological drugs.
- At Testa Center, Uppsala University offers students training in bioprocess and drug development In parallel the university's researchers have access to the Testa Center and its modern equipment in the biotechnological process industry.
More information
- Testa Center Online
- Insights into different worlds (Testa Center)
- Research in immune-oncology at Uppsala University
- New technology paves the way for vaccination against cancer
WEBINAR FROM TESTA CENTER
CONTACT
(Image removed) Erik Jacobsson
Testa Center Coordinator at the Faculty of Pharmacy
erik.jacobsson@farmbio.uu.se
text: Magnus Alsne, photo: private, Testa Center