I Built My Biotech Career in Manchester, NH
From manufacturing insulin-producing islet cells to building replacement jawbones, biotech innovators in Manchester, NH, continue to push boundaries. The area’s regenerative manufacturing and biofabrication leaders have generated options for transplants and lifesaving therapies that were once unimaginable.
As a result, this sector is creating numerous jobs across disciplines, drawing individuals from the region and all over the country to work in Manchester.
One of those smart and talented biotech pros is Hannah Meiselman, senior manager of product development at PRO Therapeutics, an early-stage regenerative medicine company that focuses on soft tissue. While Meiselman already knew she loved the field, she didn’t anticipate how quickly she would call the Queen City home. Read on to learn how she continues to build a successful biotech career in Manchester, NH.
Why did you pursue a career in biotech?
When I was growing up, my mom was diagnosed with an autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Some people live their entire lives without knowing they have this disease, but when she was in her 30s, she started getting symptoms and needed to go on the kidney transplant list.
She got the transplant when I was a junior at the University of Illinois, but the timing of her diagnosis and seeing her health complications played a role. Also, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I was younger, but I was good at science and math and wanted to help people, so I studied materials engineering. Materials are in everything and everywhere, and almost every biomedical device implant has biomaterial. As I was working my first job in Columbia, Maryland, I earned a master’s in applied biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering.
What motivates you to continue working in the biotech field, and how did you make your way to Manchester, NH?
So many people are dying and struggling on organ transplant waitlists, and I know there has to be a better solution. The beautiful thing about regenerative medicine is you can work on anything, from lipid membranes to artificial skin to kidneys.
After my first job in Maryland, I moved to Manchester to 3D-printed lungs. Now, in my role at PRO Therapeutics, I’m helping make tendons, ligaments and muscles.
I care so much about this work. In the past, I didn’t care where I lived as long as I could keep building my career in this field. After a few years in New Hampshire, that has changed. I had a couple of job offers when I was changing jobs, and I picked the Manchester job offer because I didn’t want to leave.
What makes Manchester, NH, a great place to grow a career in biotech?
When I moved here in 2021, I didn’t feel like there was a biotech scene. But since that time, the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to advance the bioeconomy of the U.S., has really grown, and startups, like PRO Therapeutics, keep joining the local ecosystem. In 2023, Manchester was designated as a Tech Hub for regenerative medicine by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Those changes have really shifted my perspective.
As all these companies grow, they bring in positions for interns and associates to senior engineers and directors. You see people who have Ph.D.s and people who have no experience. In the biotech industry, you don’t need to have a background in biotech; you just need to have a passion for biotech.
The regenerative medicine and tissue engineering space offers flexibility to adjust your goals as things change. If you asked me five years ago what I wanted to be, I would not have told you my current title. I actually used to hate the idea of product development, but you can’t spend your entire career in the lab, especially as you move higher up the ladder. You have to pass the torch.
In addition to your biotech career in Manchester, NH, what do you enjoy about living here?
Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, I didn’t know much about the Northeast, but I love the area’s nature. As people here like to say, it’s one hour to the mountains and one hour to the beach. Having beautiful scenery around is so different from growing up with a flat landscape.
I also love the community. Manchester is up and coming. Since moving here, I’ve lived downtown around Elm Street. If I’m going to live in a city, I like to be kind of in the center of it. I like to drive as little as possible, and Manchester feels safe and walkable, even as a single woman. I typically walk from my house to the Millyard for work unless it’s too cold, or I’m running late.
There are restaurants and the SNHU Arena for sports and concerts. As a scientist, I don’t know much about the arts scene, but The Palace Theatre puts on shows, and I’ve really liked watching all the murals that have been going up. In my neighborhood, I also enjoy Merrymaking on West Merrimack, an annual holiday festival. Really, when you find a community with people who are passionate about similar things, it makes me want to invest in it. That’s why I love Manchester.
This article was sponsored by the Manchester Economic Development Office.