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Cell & Gene Therapy

Cell & gene therapy (CGT) develops engineered cells (CAR-T, TCR-T, NK, iPSC-derived) and gene-delivery vectors (AAV, lentivirus, LNP-mRNA) to treat cancer, rare diseases and genetic disorders. It combines vector design, manufacturing/CMC, potency assays, vector copy number analytics and ATMP-specific regulation (FDA OTAT, EMA CAT).

CAR-TAAVLNPFDA/EMA ATMP
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Default learning track

4 phases · ~16–22 weeks

A baseline path through this sector with milestones, prerequisites, and concrete projects. Click Personalize this roadmap above to have the AI tailor pace, depth, and resources to your background and goals.

1

Phase 1 — Foundations

3–4 weeks 30–40 hours

Build the conceptual and quantitative base needed to read papers and follow tutorials in the sector.

Prerequisites

  • Comfortable with basic biology / health-science vocabulary
  • Ability to install software and use a terminal

Skills you'll build

Python or R basicsLinux shellGit/GitHubReading scientific literature

Hands-on projects

Reproducible analysis notebook

Walk through a published tutorial in Benchling + Python/R analytics + AAV/LNP design tools and reproduce its results on the provided sample data.

Deliverable: GitHub repo with a Jupyter/Quarto notebook, environment.yml, and README

Milestones

  • Set up reproducible Conda/Mamba environment and a public GitHub repo
  • Read and summarize 3 review papers covering the sector landscape
  • Complete an intro statistics or scripting course end-to-end
Citation · documentation
FDA Cell & Gene Therapy guidance
FDA OTAT/CBER
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)
Dataset · dataset
ClinicalTrials.gov — CGT trials
NIH NLM
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)
2

Phase 2 — Core tools & datasets

4–6 weeks 60–80 hours

Learn the standard analytical stack of the sector and the canonical public datasets used by professionals.

Prerequisites

  • Completed Phase 1 reproducible notebook
  • Working Python/R environment

Skills you'll build

Benchling + Python/R analytics + AAV/LNP design toolsData wranglingQC & exploratory analysisVersion-controlled pipelines

Hands-on projects

Dataset deep-dive on ClinicalTrials.gov CGT cohort + Addgene plasmid repository

Pick one study from ClinicalTrials.gov CGT cohort + Addgene plasmid repository, reproduce the headline result, and write a short technical note on what you found.

Deliverable: GitHub repo + 3-page PDF write-up

Milestones

  • Run the official Benchling + Python/R analytics + AAV/LNP design tools tutorial end-to-end on real data
  • Download and explore one full dataset from ClinicalTrials.gov CGT cohort + Addgene plasmid repository
  • Document a clean QC + analysis pipeline that another person could rerun
Citation · documentation
EMA — ATMP regulatory overview
EMA CAT
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)
Dataset · dataset
ClinicalTrials.gov — CGT trials
NIH NLM
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)
3

Phase 3 — Applied projects

6–8 weeks 80–120 hours

Move from tutorials to original analyses on real questions. Start showing your work publicly.

Prerequisites

  • Phase 2 dataset deep-dive complete
  • Comfortable with the sector's primary tooling

Skills you'll build

End-to-end pipeline designStatistical interpretationScientific writingReproducible reports

Hands-on projects

CAR-T or AAV product brief

Pick a clinical-stage CAR-T or AAV program, reconstruct its design rationale, CMC challenges and clinical results from public data, and propose a next-generation improvement.

Deliverable: 8–10 page strategy brief + reference table

Milestones

  • Ship one original mini-analysis on a public dataset with clearly stated hypothesis and limitations
  • Engage with the ASGCT and ARM (Alliance for Regenerative Medicine) community (post a question, answer one, or share a notebook)
  • Get peer feedback on at least one project and iterate
Citation · documentation
Addgene viral-vector resources (AAV / lenti)
Addgene
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)
Dataset · dataset
ClinicalTrials.gov — CGT trials
NIH NLM
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)
4

Phase 4 — Portfolio & career launch

3–5 weeks 30–50 hours

Package your work, target real roles, and prepare to interview in the sector.

Prerequisites

  • Phase 3 capstone project shipped
  • 2+ public repos under version control

Skills you'll build

Technical CVPortfolio siteInterview prep (case studies + technical questions)Networking

Hands-on projects

Job-ready portfolio package

Curate 2–3 of your strongest sector projects into a portfolio site with clear case-study writeups, plus a 1-page CV tailored to the target role.

Deliverable: Live portfolio URL + PDF CV + cover letter template

Milestones

  • Publish a portfolio site or pinned GitHub README linking to 2–3 projects
  • Tailor CV to 3 real job ads in the sector and submit applications
  • Practice 5 mock technical interviews with sector-specific case studies
Citation · course
Coursera · Drug Commercialization / CGT modules
Coursera · UCSD
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)
Dataset · dataset
ClinicalTrials.gov — CGT trials
NIH NLM
Why: Exact sector match (Cell & Gene Therapy)

Curated learning resources

Verified, canonical resources from the official providers in this sector. The AI roadmap builder draws from this same library when it personalizes your roadmap.

Courses

Coursera · Drug Commercialization / CGT modules
Coursera · UCSD
Python for Everybody
Coursera · Univ. of Michigan
LinkedIn Learning paths
LinkedIn

Trainings

Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult (UK)
CGT Catapult
ASGCT educational webinars
ASGCT
Software Carpentry lessons
The Carpentries
Kaggle Learn
Kaggle

Documentations

FDA Cell & Gene Therapy guidance
FDA OTAT/CBER
EMA — ATMP regulatory overview
EMA CAT
Addgene viral-vector resources (AAV / lenti)
Addgene
Bioprocess International — CGT manufacturing
BioProcess International
Git & GitHub fundamentals
GitHub Docs

Datasets

ClinicalTrials.gov — CGT trials
NIH NLM

Books

R for Data Science (2e)
Hadley Wickham et al.

Communitys

ASGCT — American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy
ASGCT
Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)
ARM

Typical career paths

Cell & Gene Therapy Scientist

Designs and characterizes CAR-T / AAV / LNP products and supports IND-enabling studies.

CGT CMC / Analytics Specialist

Develops potency, identity and safety assays and supports regulatory submissions for ATMPs.

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