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BonaVia × ExpertEase | Biotech and Drug Development Career Practicum

Biotech Innovation & Drug Development Program for High School Students

Guided by the Founder of Moeda Consulting, a Ph.D. pharmaceutical scientist, students investigate a therapeutic-development challenge from disease mechanism and treatment hypothesis through drug delivery, AI applications in discovery, clinical development, regulation and intellectual property. They complete a final research proposal that connects scientific evidence, translation and commercialization.

  • Grades 9–12
  • 12 Weeks
  • 120 Hours
  • Online
  • No Prior Biotech Research Experience Required
Apply for a Student Fit ReviewRead Student Stories
BONAVIA · CAREER PRACTICUMTherapeutic PathTHERAPEUTIC INNOVATION | Ask Questions · Test Evidence · Design Pathways · Reach Patients
01Mechanism
02Development
03Translation

Mentor & Program Supervisor

Dr. Moe Wehbe

Biotech Entrepreneur & Scientific Leader | Founder, Moeda Consulting

  • Co-founder of two drug-delivery technology platforms
  • Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia
  • Postdoctoral research at Vanderbilt University
  • Former Co-Lead of Extrahepatic Targeting at Mirai Bio
  • 30+ peer-reviewed publications and drug-delivery patent experience

Dr. Wehbe’s experience spans drug delivery, gene therapy, vaccine development, scientific partnerships, intellectual property and biotech entrepreneurship. He will guide students in evaluating scientific evidence, forming testable therapeutic hypotheses, understanding development and clinical pathways, and translating complex science into clear and responsible professional recommendations.

What Makes This Program Different

Students do not simply read scientific papers. They learn how a therapeutic idea becomes a developable plan.

01

Guided by a Scientist-Entrepreneur

Students learn from a mentor who understands research, drug delivery, clinical development and commercialization, seeing how laboratory discoveries move into a wider innovation pathway.

02

One Therapeutic Question Across the Full Program

Disease biology, evidence, delivery strategy, development pathway, regulation and commercialization all build around the same therapeutic direction.

03

Science Connected to Real Translation

Students ask not only whether an idea is scientifically sound, but whether it can be tested, manufactured, regulated, protected and ultimately used by patients.

04

Students Explain Evidence and Research Choices

Technical language is not the conclusion. Students explain where evidence comes from, why a pathway was selected, what risks remain and what findings could change the recommendation.

From Life-Science Curiosity to the Real World of Drug Development

A therapy is not valuable only because the idea is new. It must be testable, developable and capable of reaching patients.

Students begin with a specific disease or unmet therapeutic need and examine how targets, mechanisms, delivery, clinical research, regulation and intellectual property determine whether an innovation can advance. At every stage, they return to one question: does the scientific evidence support the next development decision?

  1. 01Understand the disease need and unmet clinical problem
  2. 02Form a therapeutic hypothesis and locate critical evidence
  3. 03Examine targets, mechanisms and drug-delivery choices
  4. 04Design a research and development pathway
  5. 05Understand clinical, regulatory, patent and commercialization requirements
  6. 06Form a recommendation and explain it under scientific questioning

Three Connected Dimensions

From Scientific Discovery to Real-World Therapeutics

The three dimensions follow one therapeutic concept from scientific evidence, through development, to the practical decisions required to bring it into the world.

01

Scientific Discovery

Begin with disease biology and unmet need, then examine therapeutic targets, mechanisms and the evidence supporting the idea.

  • Understand disease mechanisms and unmet need
  • Read and compare important scientific literature
  • Examine targets, mechanisms and delivery approaches
  • Form research questions that can be tested
02

Drug Development

Understand how a therapeutic concept moves through experiments, clinical trials, quality requirements and regulatory review.

  • Map preclinical research and evidence needs
  • Understand the logic of Phase I–III trials
  • Examine safety, efficacy and quality requirements
  • Identify regulatory milestones and development risks
03

Biotech Translation and Commercialization

Consider how intellectual property, manufacturing, partnerships and market access determine whether a discovery can become a usable product.

  • Understand patents and intellectual-property strategy
  • Examine manufacturing, scale and resource constraints
  • Consider partners, funding and business models
  • Explain how scientific value may become patient and market value

The 12-Week Professional Journey

From a disease question to a therapeutic proposal tested by both science and development logic.

Six stages build around one therapeutic direction. Students first understand the disease and evidence, then design delivery and development pathways before connecting clinical, regulatory, intellectual-property and commercialization considerations.

  1. 01

    Weeks 1–2

    Disease Problem and Therapeutic Hypothesis

    Select a disease or treatment need suited to the project scope, understand current limitations and define the central research question.

  2. 02

    Weeks 3–4

    Literature, Target and Mechanism

    Read key papers, compare the quality of evidence, examine potential targets and mechanisms, and establish the scientific rationale.

  3. 03

    Weeks 5–6

    Drug Delivery and Research Design

    Explore lipid nanoparticles, gene therapy or related platforms, then design an optimization approach, research variables and measurable outcomes.

  4. 04

    Weeks 7–8

    Clinical Development and Regulatory Pathway

    Understand preclinical research, Phase I–III trials, regulatory submissions and risk management, mapping the major development decisions.

  5. 05

    Weeks 9–10

    Intellectual Property and Biotech Commercialization

    Examine patents, technology transfer, manufacturing, partnerships and funding, considering how an innovation can be protected and developed. Students also design a focused AI tool prototype for a mentor-company research workflow, supporting evidence synthesis, hypothesis comparison or development decisions while checking output reliability.

  6. 06

    Weeks 11–12

    Final Research Proposal and Scientific Defence

    Integrate scientific evidence, delivery strategy, development pathway and commercialization judgment into a final presentation and defence.

Would you like to explore whether this learning path fits the student?

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What Students Complete

Every research outcome must connect evidence to a defensible next step.

Together, these outcomes show how a student moves from a disease question to a scientific rationale, development pathway and understanding of what a biotech innovation requires in the real world.

01

Disease and Unmet-Need Brief

Explain the patient need, limitations of current treatment and why the question deserves investigation.

02

Literature and Mechanism Analysis

Compare key papers, evidence quality, targets and mechanisms to establish a therapeutic hypothesis.

03

Drug-Delivery or Platform Design

Propose a delivery system, key variables, optimization logic and expected evaluation approach.

04

Research and Development Roadmap

Connect discovery research, preclinical validation, clinical trials and major decision points.

05

Regulatory and Risk Analysis

Identify safety, quality, regulatory and feasibility concerns across development.

06

Intellectual-Property and Commercialization Recommendation

Examine patent protection, partnerships, manufacturing and market-entry logic.

07

Final Scientific Presentation and Defence

Explain the evidence, development choices, major risks and recommended next step.

08

AI Research Tool Prototype for the Mentor Company

Design a demonstrable AI tool for a focused literature, therapeutic-hypothesis or development-pathway task that can withstand scientific review.

Student Experiences

What Students Say

11 student perspectives

These reflections come from students across different BonaVia × ExpertEase career practicums. Each card identifies the student’s original program, mentor background and year.

01

Student A.L. | Biomedical Career Program | Mentor background: PhD mentor | 2026

Where Research Meets Business

“I joined because I was interested in biomedical science, so I assumed the program would focus mostly on research. I did not expect business to be such a big part of it. A great invention still has to become something people can understand, access, and use, and I had never really thought about that side before. The program taught me to consider the science behind an idea as well as what it takes to bring that idea into the real world. That connection between science and business became my favorite part. I am now planning my own product line, and this experience gave me a much clearer idea of where to begin.”
02

Student J.X. | AI Career Program | Mentor background: Google | 2025

A Program That Completely Changed My Understanding of AI

“Before this program, AI mostly meant chatbots and homework tools to me. I did not realize how much more people were doing with it. Learning how major tech companies use AI was honestly mind-blowing. At school, a lot of students are still told not to use AI at all. Here, I learned how to use it to research, build, test ideas, and solve real problems while still thinking for myself. That completely changed the way I see AI. Most students my age have not had the chance to work with it this way yet, so I feel like I now have a really useful starting point. I would highly recommend the program to students who want to experiment with AI for themselves.”
03

Student D.H. | Private Equity & Investment Banking Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2025

From Not Understanding PE to Completing the Full Analysis Process

“Before this program, I honestly wasn’t sure what private equity was. Now I feel like I have a pretty solid idea of how it works. Going through a deal process was a big takeaway in itself because there is so much more to it than I expected. We worked through a CIM, wrote an investment memo, and had to decide whether a company was actually a good buy. That made private equity feel real instead of just being another finance term I had heard before. By the end, I could explain the process in my own words and understand why each step mattered. I learned a lot and would genuinely recommend this program to anyone who is curious about finance.”
04

Student P.S. | Private Equity & Investment Banking Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2025

Learning the Real Day-to-Day Work and Analytical Process

“The first things I learned were more of the day-to-day tasks, like building a CIM and writing an investment memo. We also talked about normalized EBITDA, competitive moats, debt, risk, and how to analyze whether a company is a good buy. At first, some of these terms sounded pretty confusing, but using them in a real project made them much easier to understand. This was not just memorizing definitions or making a basic presentation. We had to look at the information, question the assumptions, and explain our own decisions. I really liked that the work felt close to what people in finance actually do. It taught me much more than I could have learned from a textbook.”
05

Student F.S. | Private Equity & Investment Banking Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2025

Using Program Knowledge in Networking Conversations

“I didn’t know how impactful this program would be, but once I started going to networking events, the small points we learned made a really big difference. I remember reviewing our notes about debt and risk before one event and then using that knowledge to ask a much better question. The person I spoke with actually had a lot to say about it, and the conversation landed really well. Before the program, I would not have known what to ask or how to explain my question clearly. This is knowledge I probably never would have learned otherwise. The program made me much more confident speaking with professionals and helped me feel like I could actually take part in the conversation.”
06

Student A.W. | Finance Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2026

Seeing What Finance Careers Really Look Like and Discovering More Options

“Before the program, I didn’t really know what working in finance looked like. I honestly wondered, is it really just Excel spreadsheets every single day? Speaking with a mentor who actually works in the industry put the role into perspective and helped me understand what people really do. I also realized that finance is applicable to so many things, and that investment banking and consulting are not the only paths. The program opened me up to different options and possibilities in finance that I had never considered before. It gave me a much wider view of the industry and helped me think more clearly about what I might want to study or explore in the future. I would absolutely recommend it, especially if you are interested in finance but have no idea where to start.”
07

Student A.L. | Marketing Career Program | Mentor background: PwC | 2025

Creating a Launch Plan for a Real Brand

“I honestly thought market research was pretty straightforward: make a survey, find a few statistics, and put everything into a PowerPoint. Then we started working with a real local business, and I realized how much I had missed. We had to understand the customers, study the competition, plan the launch, and write a marketing plan the business could actually use. Some parts of our plan were carried out, which was probably the biggest surprise for me. It felt completely different from handing in an assignment and getting a grade. Something we created was useful in the real world. That was incredibly satisfying. I learned a lot.”
08

Student J.W. | Marketing Career Program | Mentor background: PwC | 2024

How a High School Experience Helped Me Land a Paid Internship

“I completed this program in Grade 12, and it became one of the most useful experiences on my resume. In my first year of university, it was a big reason I landed a paid internship. During the interview, I could explain the entire business process clearly, from market research and strategy to the launch and results. I could explain why we made each decision and answer follow-up questions because I had done the work in depth. I was not repeating marketing terms or trying to make a small school project sound bigger than it was. I knew what I was talking about. Getting that experience before I graduated from high school gave me a huge head start.”
09

Student A.L. | Software Engineering Career Program | Mentor background: Citadel | 2025

Gaining Technology and Industry Insight Beyond School

“My school had never given me this kind of exposure to technology or the industry. Through the apprenticeship, I started to see what the field looks like outside a classroom. Working with a mentor who is actively shaping the field made a huge difference. I was learning from someone with firsthand knowledge, which gave the experience a completely different weight. It changed what I thought was possible for my future and helped me see technology as more than something I studied at school. It became a path I could actually imagine for myself.”
10

Student O.W. | Product Manager Career Program | Mentor background: P&G | 2024

Building a Mentor Connection and Getting an Early Career Head Start

“My mentor was awesome! She taught us, but what I remember most was how she connected with us and shared her own journey. That made the experience feel personal. I was learning from someone who was willing to talk about what her path had actually looked like. I also built connections through the program, and some of them have already opened doors to opportunities I never imagined. Getting that kind of exposure so early feels like a real head start on my career.”
11

Student A.H. | Graphic Design Career Program | Mentor background: Nike | 2023

Bringing Creative Ideas to Life in Real Projects

“It was amazing to see my ideas come to life in real projects. Working on real projects made the skills I was developing feel much more concrete. What stayed with me most was knowing that the work had a tangible impact. That was such a cool feeling. The experience also made my college applications stand out. By the time the program ended, I felt much more prepared for whatever comes next.”

01/11

Ready to explore whether the program is a good fit?

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Starting Point

Who Is This Program For?

  • Open to students in Grades 9–12
  • No prior biotech research, drug-development, programming or commercialization experience required
  • Relevant to students exploring biology, chemistry, medicine, pharmacy, AI in healthcare, gene therapy, vaccines or biotech entrepreneurship
  • Ready to read scientific material, compare evidence, ask questions and complete a research outcome

Personalized Learning Design

The scientific content is designed around each student’s foundation while preserving the same research standard.

The team considers the student’s background in biology, chemistry, data and research, then tailors preparation materials, core-concept instruction and stage-specific support. A beginner can first build foundations in disease biology, experimental design and literature reading, while a student with research experience can take on deeper delivery-platform, clinical-development, regulatory or commercialization analysis.

The pathway may differ, but every student must understand the evidence, explain research choices, identify limitations and take ownership of the conclusion.

01

Tailored Scientific Foundations

Preparation in disease biology, molecular science, drug delivery and research methods is selected around the student’s starting point.

02

Personalized Research Scope

Literature depth, technical topic, analysis method and final-outcome complexity are adjusted to the student.

03

Stage-Specific Scientific Support

Students receive focused guidance during literature analysis, research design, development planning and scientific communication.

Growth and University Preparation

The value is not in saying “I did research.” It is in explaining the question, evidence and judgment.

The program title alone does not determine a university outcome. The value comes from whether the student personally read and compared scientific material, formed a testable question, understood uncertainty in development and can explain why one pathway is more reasonable than another.

These experiences can help students understand biotechnology, biomedicine, pharmacy, medicine, public health and scientific entrepreneurship more realistically while giving them scientific thinking and work they may later discuss in applications, résumés, research portfolios and interviews.

Apply to the Program

Program Application

The program is open to students in Grades 9–12, with no prior biotech research or drug-development experience required. Preparation materials, scientific content and project support are personalized to the student’s starting foundation and pace so they can build the required knowledge and complete a therapeutic research proposal and final scientific presentation.

Application Process

  1. 01Interest Form
  2. 02Fit Assessment & Interview
  3. 03Admission and Enrolment
Apply for a Student Fit Review

The regular format runs for 12 weeks, with an average commitment of 10+ hours per week. The summer intensive runs for about 1.5 months, with an average commitment of 20+ hours per week. The program is fully online.

Start Here

Complete the 1-Minute Student Fit Form

Tell us about the student’s current grade, life-science interests and goals. BonaVia will consider the commitment, learning style and starting foundation, then help the family understand whether this experience is a good fit.

Selected programBiotech Innovation & Drug Development Program

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