Interview with a Biologist (BioProduction)

Arti Manohar is a Biologist and is currently working as Production Biologist at American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, Virginia. Born in Delhi, India, Arti received early education in Biotechnology from US schools and ended up becoming a successful Biologist in a Biological Resource Center and research organization based in United States. This is her career story.

- What is Biology? What does it mean being a Biologist?

Arti - Biology is concerned with study of life and living organisms. Biologist is a scientist who studies living organisms in its environment.

 - Can you please tell us about your workplace?

Arti - ATCC is a biological resource center and research organization. We acquire, authenticate, produce, preserve, develop and distribute microorganisms and cell lines for research. My workplace is like a retail store for raw materials used in life science research.

ATCC tends to the needs of Life Sciences R & D. For example, Pharmaceutical companies perform numerous experiments on microorganisms and agents before bringing out a drug to the market. This is where ATCC comes in and supplies authentic and standardized microorganisms and reagents like bacteria, viruses, antibodies, DNA, RNA etc.  for companies to perform tests.

- What do you do at ATCC?

Arti - I work as a Biologist in the Immunology Core of ATCC. When Customer Service receives a request for a vial of a hybridoma cell line or antibody from a customer (research institution), a work order is generated. After receiving the work order, I work in a team to grow, propagate and bank the hybridoma cell line, and/or extract and purify antibody from it. Hybridoma cell lines are immortal cell lines capable of producing antibodies specific to a particular target. The antibodies we produce are mostly used in infectious disease research, but in general can be used in any disease research to identify and locate cellular proteins.     

- When and how did you first realize your interest in Biotechnology?

Arti - I liked Biology and Mathematics concepts in my +1 and +2 and wanted to pursue a career that involved laboratories and experimentation. After research and guidance, I came to know that I get to do everything I liked in Biotechnology. And here I am taking part in Biomedical research.

- How did you pursue your passion in Biotechnology?

After my +2 in Maths, Biology, Physics and Chemistry, I enrolled in a Twinning program in an Indian University and got my Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology from North Dakota State University. Biotechnology is a vast field, and I wanted to specialize in biomedical research, and therefore I signed up for a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering immediately after. I then worked as a Lab Technician in a research laboratory for 2 years before landing my current position. Education and work experience helped me get to where I am today.

- What right steps do you think you made in this career path?

Arti - I was lucky to get +1 and +2 education in Mathematics and Biology, in addition to Physics and Chemistry. This preliminary education made it easier to get into Biotechnology programs. One needs to obtain both Mathematics and Science knowledge to pursue a career in Biotechnology.

Getting work experience during and after school helped me gain skills that are necessary in entering this field.

- What advice and suggestions do you have for young students planning to pursue a career in Biotechnology?

Arti - I would encourage students to get a lot of experience and pick up a variety of lab skills through internships/externships along with the education in Biotechnology. The infrastructure and facilities available for biotechnology research are great in the US, but companies in this field don’t easily sponsor visas, so it is very essential to have a broad skill set and experience to get a good job.