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#BREAKTHEBIAS
The freedom to grow Breaking the Bias with Astrea Bioseparations strea Bioseparations, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gamma Biosciences, has been based on the Island since 1989.
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Over the last 35 years it has developed a large number of products, increased manufacturing capacity, and expanded into different markets. Today, Astrea Bioseparations is one of the leading manufacturers of products that guarantee the purity of therapeutic drugs. Chris Brown, Operations Director says ‘This is an exciting place to work, we’re constantly changing and keeping ahead of the game. What’s really important to us all is that we are helping patients, reducing side effects and improving the quality of life. Being able to work somewhere you know you’re having a direct impact on the quality of a person’s life is so fulfilling.’ The manufacturing plant employs over 50 people, many of whom have been with the Company for several years. It has six different departments: production, development, quality control, quality assurance,
engineering, and logistics, providing a diverse and multi-faceted career structure. Over the last 5 years there has been major investment in their manufacturing facilities, to provide a significant increase in production scale. Chris states ‘The growth potential for Astrea Bioseparations is huge, especially as the market is expanding rapidly. We are looking at moving into other markets, which could have a significant impact on advanced therapies, which makes this a very exciting time!’ Astrea Bioseparations is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all its employees, allowing them the freedom to grow and contribute towards company success. It believes that building a diverse team is essential to creating a more innovative and healthy culture. ‘We are passionate about creating workplaces that encourage everyone to bring their authentic selves to work.’ In 2021 over 50% of Astrea Bioseparations’ new hires were women. To celebrate the empowerment of women, they will be hosting an internal webinar on CAR-T cell therapy and wearing purple to help #BreakTheBias. Here, staff highlight Astrea Bioseparations as not
only diverse and inclusive but a rewarding workplace.
in a hands-on role within a laboratory environment.’
Nadia Amaral, QC Supervisor: ‘I find my job exciting and rewarding when we, as a team, achieve our targets. Working here has allowed me to develop myself both personally and professionally.’
Sophie Hicklin, Technology Transfer Analytical Coordinator: ‘Earlier this year I made the decision to move from the QC department to the Tech Transfer department for a new challenge, with the support of my colleagues I have settled in to my new role and quickly felt like a valued member of the team. I am now undertaking formal training to support this move and expand my knowledge within Tech Transfer.’
Christine Khan, Production & Logistics Team Leader: ‘Working at Astrea Bioseparations has allowed me to take on new opportunities. Recently I moved departments from QA to Production and Logistics, this has been a great way for me to learn new skills and learn more about different areas of the business.’ Justine De Ponte, QA Officer: ‘With the support of my colleagues, I have very recently completed a Lead Auditor course. This allowed me to take on more responsibilities, particularly where I can support the company in maintaining supply chain resilience based on a risk assessed approach by auditing suppliers during sourcing and qualification.’ Bryn Bloom, Production Assistant: ‘I relocated to the Isle of Man from California and the job opportunities at Astrea Bioseparations allowed me to continue my career
Committed to inclusion, innovation, and quality Isle of Man | Cambridge (UK) | Massachusetts (US)
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Tracy Moore, QA Team Leader: ‘I am the longest serving employee at Astrea Bioseparations, who is based on the Isle of Man. 22 years ago when I first joined as a QC Analyst, I was based in the lab and was responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations. Now, as a QA Team Leader I manage two QA officers and am responsible for approving and releasing all batches manufactured on site.’ Tracy McLachlan, Technology Transfer Manufacturing Coordinator: ‘When searching for a job, I was most attracted to Astrea Bioseparations as there was plenty of internal opportunities to learn and develop. My particular role has
We are passionate about creating workplaces that encourage everyone to bring their authentic selves to work.
provided me with the scope to grow in a dynamic environment with a collaborative team.’ Joy Chiappella, Production Chemist: ‘I had just graduated as a chemist when I came across Astrea Bioseparations. I was drawn to the fact that in this particular role, I could continue practicing chemistry in a lab, allowing me to build upon my skills from university.’ Clodagh Camarda, Receptionist: ‘What I love the most about working at Astrea Bioseparations is that every single day is full of variety. I look forward to coming to work everyday and I am surrounded by friends, not colleagues.’