Sector roadmap

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

Typical career paths