Amidst rising layoffs in key biotech hubs, global demand for specialized life sciences talent is driving a more borderless, distributed model of scientific work.

The biotech sector has always been cyclical, shaped by changeable funding environments, regulatory evolution and the drawn-out timelines of scientific innovation. But the recent wave of layoffs across the industry, particularly in major U.S. hubs, signals more than a temporary lull. As products, services and innovation director at global HR supplier Mauve Group, I have decades of experience observing market and sector-specific trends. To me, the recent spate of redundancies indicates that there may be a global reshuffling of life sciences talent on the horizon.

For professionals in biotech, especially those in geographically flexible roles, this moment is dual-sided, presenting both uncertainty and opportunity. As companies recalibrate, a growing number of highly skilled scientists and experts are simultaneously entering the job market. At the same time, global demand for this expertise remains high and increasingly borderless.

The result is a change in how remote, work-from-anywhere life sciences careers are structured, with skills applied across borders, making international mobility an expected capability, even if not a permanent move.

From layoffs to global opportunity

Recent workforce reductions across biotech hubs—such as Boston, where biopharmaceuticals companies enacted a series of layoffs in 2023 and 2024 and where cuts have continued since then—reflect a cooling period following years of rapid expansion. However, it’s important to note that such layoffs do not necessarily eliminate demand for talent. Often, they redistribute it.

Over my career, I’ve seen time and time again that when large numbers of experienced professionals become available simultaneously, other markets move quickly to absorb them. Governments and innovation ecosystems are acutely aware of this dynamic.

The U.K. remains a top destination for life sciences talent from Eastern Europe. Along with Switzerland, it is also a leading location for Western European migrants, due to moves such as rejoining Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship funding program for scientific research, and establishing visa routes designed to make it easier for scientists and academics to move to the U.K.

Recently, Canada introduced policies in its 2026 budget specifically aimed at attracting U.S.-based researchers, offering relocation incentives and streamlined pathways for entry.

Meanwhile, dozens of U.S. researchers will moved to France as part of a high-profile initiative to recruit foreign researchers to the country with the promise of greater academic freedom. At the same time, established life sciences hubs such as Basel, Switzerland; London; and Singapore continue to compete aggressively for specialized talent.

For professionals, this means that a layoff in one market does not necessarily equate to fewer opportunities. It may instead open doors globally.

A move toward distributed biotech teams

One of the most significant changes I’ve seen driving this trend is how biotech companies are structuring their workforce.

Traditionally, life sciences roles were concentrated in physical clusters, at locations like research labs and clinical sites. While this remains true for hands-on laboratory and clinical work, a growing share of biotech roles are now geographically flexible and can be performed from anywhere. Jobs in regulatory affairs, clinical trial design, data analysis, bioinformatics, quality assurance and artificial intelligence–driven research can all be completed online—perfect for international hiring.

Therefore, rather than relocating entire functions to a single place, organizations are creating dispersed global teams that allow them to access specialized talent wherever it exists. This model not only expands the available talent pool but also enables companies to operate more flexibly while managing costs and mitigating risk.

What this means for life sciences professionals

Naturally, for individuals navigating layoffs or considering their next move, these changes have significant implications.

Geographic flexibility is becoming a major advantage. Professionals who are open to international opportunities are more likely to access a broader range of roles, particularly in high-demand specialties.

There is growing evidence that international mobility is already a defining feature of scientific careers. According to Cornell University, 25% of STEM Ph.D. graduates trained in the U.S. eventually work abroad, with these science, technology, engineering and math professionals contributing to a globally interconnected research ecosystem.

The realities of cross-border hiring

While the idea of working globally is appealing, the practicalities of cross-border employment can be complicated. Countries have distinct immigration systems, tax structures and employment laws, and ensuring compliance is key to any successful overseas venture, for employers and employees alike.

For companies hiring global talent, this complexity influences how roles are built internationally. Not all positions can be filled with equal ease. In particular, hands-on laboratory and clinical roles often require local employment due to regulatory and insurance considerations.

This is why the current wave of global hiring is particularly focused on location-independent roles that can largely be performed remotely. For professionals, this means that developing expertise in areas like regulatory affairs, data science or clinical trial strategy can open more global doors than primarily lab-based roles.

A new model for career development for biotech professionals

Many organizations are introducing international career frameworks that allow employees to move between hubs, backed by investment from bodies such as the EU, which in 2025 spent 19 million euros (around $22 million) on projects aimed at improving working conditions and career prospects for early-stage researchers. These pathways not only support individual growth but also help companies to retain valuable expertise.

At the same time, increased flexibility is giving individuals greater control over how and where they shape their careers, making it easier to align professional ambitions with personal priorities. As companies invest in new innovation hubs, such as Henkel’s expansion into Singapore Science Park, professionals benefit from access to emerging centers of excellence, exposure to cutting-edge research and opportunities to work within globally connected teams.

Competitive employers are also offering comprehensive relocation packages, including assistance with housing, schooling and integration. This reflects a growing recognition that attracting global talent requires a properly strategized approach, covering more than just the job itself and instead offering the scaffolding on which can be easily constructed a rounded life, encompassing job, living situation and familial support.

Looking ahead: a more connected talent landscape

The current wave of biotech layoffs may be unsettling, but it is also driving a longer-term repositioning toward a more global, interconnected talent market. For life sciences professionals, this means that career opportunities are no longer confined to a single city or country. Instead, they exist within a global network of innovation hubs, each offering unique advantages and opportunities.

Ultimately, the question is not whether biotech talent will go global. It already did. The real question is how quickly professionals and organizations can adapt to this new reality. In a sector defined by discovery and progress, the ability to think and work beyond borders may prove to be one of the most important innovations of all.

Gilead, AstraZeneca and Vertex have acquired more than just a therapeutic asset in recent deals. BioSpace takes a look at five recent transactions where the staff was the real centerpiece.

Pharma M&A deals tend to revolve around key assets that can bolster the pipeline and provide growth. But sometimes, the buyer sees a lot more in the expertise within the target organization.

That was the case with Gilead Sciences’ recent acquisition of Tubulis GmbH, where the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) biotech will be housed as a specialized R&D unit within the parent company and continue to crank out new assets.

With any acquisition, there’s bound to be some redundancies. Often top-level leaders like the CEO move on to lead other companies. But bench-level expertise sometimes can’t be replaced, particularly at platform companies or biotechs developing cutting-edge therapeutics like radiopharmaceuticals.

On the flip side is when a company only wants an asset and none of the staff. That was the case when GSK bought the Canadian chronic cough biotech BELLUS Health for $2 billion in 2023. A year later, almost the entire staff was let go as the P2X3 receptor antagonist camlipixant was integrated into the U.K. pharma’s pipeline.

Below, BioSpace takes a look at recent deals where the staff was just as much of a prize as the assets within the biotech.

Gilead snags an ADC R&D factory thanks to Tubulis

There is nothing hotter in the cancer space than ADCs right now. To get up to speed, Gilead bought Tubulis for $5 billion earlier this month, pledging to tuck the biotech in as a dedicated ADC R&D unit.

Tubulis CEO Dominik Schumacher, who is also co-founder of the German company, said the two companies will work together now to incorporate the biotech’s platform and capabilities into Gilead’s oncology research group.

“We and Gilead believe our team is one of our greatest assets and was an important consideration as part of this transaction,” Schumacher told BioSpace in an email. “We strongly believe that Gilead saw not only the full potential and depth of our pipeline and technologies but also the expertise of our world-class team as a core asset.”

Gilead and Tubulis have worked together since 2024 through a licensing deal. The initial focus post-merger will be on the ovarian cancer asset TUB-040. But Gilead executives were clear that the acquisition offers much more.

“Oncology, ovarian cancer and then other areas in oncology are the first directions, but there is real opportunity to build out and move into inflammation and into virology,” Chief Medical Officer Dietmar Berger said on a conference call discussing Gilead’s recent deal strategy.

CEO Daniel O’Day agreed that bringing the partners together under one wing was the best way to maximize value and blend the scientific expertise on both sides.

“There is no one size fits all for how those partnerships will eventually evolve,” O’Day said. “Some of them we feel just would be helpful for us to fully integrate into the further strength of Gilead.”

Biogen gets launch ready with Apellis

In the $5.6 billion acquisition of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Biogen wasn’t after the scientists exactly. Those experts had already done their work, bringing kidney disease drug Empaveli and eye disease therapy Syfovre to FDA approval in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

Instead, Biogen wanted Apellis’ nephrology team to help launch an asset from a previous deal called felzartamab, a CD38 targeting antibody being tested in three different kidney diseases.

“We just think that if the clinical trials work out for felzartamab as we hope, that we will have a running start into the launch, and we could actually potentially achieve peak sales faster than we would if we were just doing this on our own,” CEO Chris Viehbacher said on a conference call discussing the deal.

The strategy makes sense. Kidney disease is a new area for Biogen, but not for heavy-hitters like Novartis, which is developing medicines in the space as well. With Apellis’ experience with Empaveli —approved for paroxysmal octurnal hemoglobinuria, C3 glomerulopathyand glomerulonephritis—Biogen will have the expertise to pull off the launch.

“We feel comfortable that we’re going to be able to work with the Apellis teams to really pull the teams together and do even more with these two products than either company could do on their end,” Viehbacher said.

AstraZeneca buys a radiopharma brain trust in Fusion

If you want to develop therapies using radioactive materials, you better find yourself some pros. That’s exactly what AstraZeneca did in 2024, amid a pharma deal craze for radiopharmaceuticals.

The U.K. pharma bought Fusion Pharmaceuticals for $2.4 billion in March 2024, adding on a portfolio of radioconjugate assets including a lead prostate cancer med called FPI-2265. But equally valuable to AstraZeneca were the experts who developed Fusion’s pipeline—and helping to establish a base in Canada.

“The acquisition brings new expertise and pioneering R&D, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities in actinium-based RCs to AstraZeneca,” the pharma said in a statement at the time of the acquisition. “It also strengthens the company’s presence in and commitment to Canada.”

That supply chain aspect is key in radiopharma, where manufacturing has been a top concern for budding biotechs and pharmas in the space. Fusion in particular had an established supply chain of actinium-225, which supported its next-gen radioconjugate platform.

The companies had already worked together, getting to know each other in a licensing collaboration before AstraZeneca ultimately swallowed the biotech whole.

“This acquisition combines Fusion’s expertise and capabilities in radioconjugates, including our industry-leading radiopharmaceutical R&D, pipeline, manufacturing and actinium-225 supply chain, with AstraZeneca’s leadership in small molecules and biologics engineering to develop novel radioconjugates,” Fusion CEO John Valliant said in a statement at the time.

AstraZeneca tucks Amolyt into Alexion to continue rare disease mission

In rare disease, it’s best to go with the pros. That was AstraZeneca’s thinking in March 2024, when Amolyt Pharma was tucked into its existing Alexion rare disease unit for about $1.06 billion.

You may remember Alexion as one of the biggest deals of 2020 at $39 billion, and one where the workforce and footprint were just as important as the assets. The unit has retained the Alexion name since joining the U.K. pharma and Amolyt was purchased to fit neatly inside.

“Alexion is looking forward to welcoming talent from Amolyt Pharma,” AstraZeneca said in a statement at the time of the deal.

Amolyt in particular would boost Alexion’s pipeline beyond complement inhibition and expand on existing work in bone metabolism. Amolyt’s lead asset was eneboparatide, under development for hypoparathyroidism.

“As leaders in rare disease, Alexion is uniquely positioned to drive the late-stage development and global commercialization of eneboparatide,” Alexion CEO Marc Dunoyer said at the time. “We believe this program, together with Amolyt’s talented team, expertise and earlier pipeline, will enable our expansion into rare endocrinology.”

Amolyt CEO Thierry Abribat recently received an award for best biotech exit. The executive credited the Amolyt team, which is still working to get eneboparatide approved.

“This award is first and foremost for the Amolyt Pharma team. A successful exit is fantastic, but it’s not the end of the story. The story will end when our drug candidates are available to patients internationally,” Abribat said in his acceptance speech, translated from French by Google Translate. “The Amolyt Pharma team, now part of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is working tirelessly every day to complete the development of eneboparatide for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism and to continue developing the other products in our portfolio.”

Vertex anchors pipeline-in-a-product with Alpine team

One of the Holy Grails of pharma is always the pipeline-in-a-product asset—a drug that can be used in multiple indications and secure numerous approvals. That’s what Vertex Pharma was seeking with the $4.9 billion acquisition of Alpine Immune Sciences in April 2024.

At the center of the deal was povetacicept, a dual antagonist of the BAFF and APRIL cytokines believed to activate B cells, under development initially for IgA nephropathy (IgAN).

The deal was a good fit for Vertex, which was looking to pick up assets in specialty markets, CEO Reshma Kewalramani said at the time. But she also credited the Alpine team—specifically welcoming them to Vertex—as well as the potential of the biotech’s protein engineering and immunotherapy capabilities.

Alpine CEO Mitchell Gold said the fit was clear on a person-to-person level, too.

“It became clear during our discussions with the Vertex team that we share many core values, including a commitment to patients, our employees, and an intense drive for innovation,” Gold said in a statement at the time of the deal. “We could not have picked a better steward of povetacicept,” he added after Vertex posted late-stage results for the asset in March.

Honorable mention: Galapagos seeks new employees through acquisitions

This deal has not exactly happened—yet. But Galapagos CEO Henry Gosebruch told BioSpace in January that part of his goal in finding companies to acquire is to retain the workforce. He framed this as a plus in negotiating deals because the target company leadership won’t have to worry about losing staff.

“One of the things we can offer to a potential transaction party is that if there’s a strong R&D team or a strong commercial team, they could, as a full team, come to Galapagos and be our team going forward,” Gosebruch said.

Almost half of the top 100 medicines vulnerable to supply disruptions in the U.S. have at least one key starting material with a single source country, according to a new report from United States Pharmacopeia.

The United States Pharmacopeia has updated its list of products vulnerable to supply disruptions, adding drugs including Tamiflu and Trulicity after expanding its risk assessment to key starting materials.

Last year, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) assessed medicines’ clinical importance, demand and supply chains to create a list of 100 vulnerable products. The nonprofit, which publishes a compendium of drug information each year, expanded the analysis this year to include key starting materials (KSMs). Because KSMs are used to make active ingredients, disruption to their supply can cause drug shortages.

The USP found 48 of the 100 vulnerable drugs use a KSM that is only sourced from one country. While the new analysis lacks information on where KSM supply is concentrated, the nonprofit said last year that 41% of KSMs in U.S.-approved active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are only sourced from China. Another 16% of KSMs in U.S. APIs are only supplied by Indian companies. Most of the remaining 43% of KSMs are sourced from two or more countries.

The inclusion of KSM supply in the analysis affected which drugs the USP included on the latest list. The USP said the supply of more than one-quarter of the drugs on the latest list appears stable based on the finished product availability. However, the KSM analysis showed the products have “a single upstream potential point of failure,” leading the nonprofit to conclude they are vulnerable to supply disruption.

The USP named oseltamivir capsules, famotidine injection and metoprolol tartrate injection as drugs that it added to the list because of the KSM analysis. Oseltamivir, an antiviral that Roche sells as Tamiflu, and the two other drugs have “low measured shortage risk” and were not deemed vulnerable in last year’s analysis, the USP said. However, the three drugs rely on a single region for at least one of their KSMs.

None of the three products is on the FDA’s shortage list, but the presence of supply chain weaknesses led the USP to conclude they are vulnerable to supply disruption. Overall, 70 of the medicines on the list were readily available when the USP performed its analysis in February.

Those 70 products include dulaglutide, the GLP-1 receptor agonist that Eli Lilly sells as Trulicity. There is no explanation why the USP deemed dulaglutide, which was not on the previous list, to be vulnerable. The previous list included semaglutide, the GLP-1 drug that Novo Nordisk sells as Ozempic and Wegovy. The USP removed semaglutide from the latest list, reflecting the resolution of the drug’s shortage.

Pivotal findings for the off-the-shelf cell therapy surpassed William Blair’s expectations and sent Allogene Therapeutics’ stock up more than 50% in pre-market trading Monday morning.

Allogene Therapeutics’ cell therapy has aced an interim lymphoma test, clearing residual disease in 41.6% more patients compared to those in an observational arm of the pivotal trial.

The findings for the off-the-shelf experimental treatment surpassed the expectations of William Blair analysts and sent Allogene’s stock up more than 50% in pre-market trading Monday morning. If the study scores its main goal of event-free survival, the California biotech plans on using the data to request FDA approval.

The highly anticipated findings include data from 24 patients with large B cell lymphoma (LBCL), half of whom were given Allogene’s cema-cel as a consolidation therapy, designed to eliminate residual disease after initial treatment administration.

The futility analysis demonstrated a 58.3% measurable residual disease (MRD)–clearance rate among the 12 patients receiving cema-cel at 45 days compared to a 16.7% MRD-clearance rate for the 12 patients in the observation arm.

The efficacy seen in the data “nails” William Blair’s bull case scenario of 40% MRD-clearance, the firm wrote in a Monday note. The new findings also outperform previously stated expectations from Allogene’s leadership team of up to a 30% clearance difference.

Furthermore, the allogeneic CAR T was tied to a 97.7% reduction in plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), while ctDNA levels rose by 26.6% in the wait-and-watch group. Typically, higher ctDNA levels are associated with more advanced disease.

The interim findings, stemming from the Phase 2 ALPHA3 trial, also found cema-cel to be “very well-tolerated,” with zero cases of cytokine release syndrome or immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) occurring, according to Allogene.

Rates of low-grade infections were similar across treatment groups, though half of patients in the investigational arm experienced other neurologic events outside of ICANS—such as headache or dizziness—compared to only one patient in the observational cohort. That being said, all neurologic events were low-grade, with William Blair saying the events were likely related to preconditioning chemotherapy.

Overall, William Blair believes the futility analysis findings “significantly increases the probability of success in a blockbuster market opportunity.” As a first-line consolidation treatment, cema-cel could represent about a $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion market opportunity, Allogene estimates.

Looking forward, Allogene anticipates sharing interim data on ALPHA3’s primary endpoint of event-free survival in mid-2027 and a primary analysis the following year. The open-label trial is expected to recruit 220 patients across more than 60 sites.

Allogene’s approach is innovative in the fact that it elevates the use of MRD testing for lymphoma patients in hopes of ultimately reducing relapse risk. According to Allogene, ALPHA3 is the first randomized trial in LBCL evaluating whether MRD-guided intervention before relapse can eliminate residual disease.

“These early results represent an important step toward redefining first-line large B cell lymphoma management,” Allogene CEO David Chang said on a Monday investor call.

“Today, many patients are simply observed after first-line therapy, despite remaining at high risk of relapse, and by the time relapse occurs, disease may be more difficult to control,” the CEO explained, adding that he believes cema-cel has the potential to intervene earlier.

“Our mission is to unlock the transformative potential of CAR-T through our allogeneic platform,” Chang said. “At its core, that mission is about democratizing cell therapy, expanding patient access, simplifying delivery for physicians and treatment centers, and optimally moving CAR-T earlier in the treatment paradigm where it may have the greatest impact.”

About a third of patients enrolled in ALPHA3 are receiving treatment in community cancer centers, delivery that Allogene believes is conducive to broad adoption.

The licensing deal marks AbbVie’s first foray into new pain medicines, a space where Vertex currently enjoys a lead thanks to the NaV1.8 inhibitor Journavax.

AbbVie is getting in on the pain game in a deal with China’s Haisco Pharmaceutical Group that could be worth up to $715 million.

The Chinese biotech has granted the American pharma rights to multiple compounds for pain-related indications. The assets range from preclinical to Phase 1 testing in China, according to a Monday morning release.

This marks AbbVie’s first foray into new pain medicines, a space where Vertex currently enjoys a lead. The approval of Journavax last year ushered in a new era for the treatment of pain, with a novel non-opioid option in the pain signal inhibitor class of medicines. The drug specifically targets the NaV1.8 voltage-gated sodium channel that plays a critical role in generating and transmitting pain.

Eli Lilly is also working on new pain therapies, after buying SiteOne Therapeutics in May 2025 for up to $1 billion for a pipeline that includes a NaV1.8 inhibitor.

AbbVie and Haisco did not specify what type of pain medicines will be explored through the deal. Haisco has previously presented preclinical data on NaV1.8 inhibitors but also has analgesic and non-controlled opioids in its pipeline.

Haisco credited AbbVie’s neuroscience expertise as a strength of the new partnership. The pharma has an expansive migraine portfolio, including approved medicines Ubrelvy and Qulipta, while Vraylar is approved for bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Earlier in the pipeline, AbbVie is developing therapies for schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and spinal cord injury.

In 2023, AbbVie bought Cerevel for $8.7 billion to challenge Bristol Myers Squibb in the schizophrenia space. But the key asset in that deal, emraclidine, has struggled in the clinic.

Unswayed by the Cerevel challenge, AbbVie also entered psychedelics last year with the $1.2 billion acquisition of Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals’ bretisilocin.

As for Haisco, the Chinese biotech has been stepping up its international partnerships in an effort to expand around the world. The company licensed a chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder drug to AirNexis in January in a deal worth $108 million upfront, rising to over $1 billion with milestones and other potential payments.

Telix is Regeneron’s entry ticket into the radiopharma game, helping to better round out the company’s cancer portfolio, according to Truist Securities.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is joining the radiopharma race by partnering with Telix, leveraging the Australian biotech’s development engine to target multiple cancer indications.

“The collaboration brings a new leg to REGN’s robust pipeline,” Truist Securities told investors in a Sunday note. “We believe the partnership offers additional opportunities for long-term growth in solid tumors,” the analysts added, “further filling out REGN’s exposure in oncology and adding diversification to the current commercial-focused story.”

Under the terms of the agreement, announced Sunday evening, Regeneron is fronting $40 million to use Telix’s tech for four initial programs, over which the companies will split global commercialization costs and profits equally. The pharma will also have the option to add four more programs to the partnership for an additional but undisclosed upfront sum.

Telix has the option to not split costs with Regeneron for certain programs, in which case it will be eligible for up to $535 million in development and commercial milestones, plus low double-digit royalties, for that specific program. All told, if Regeneron maxes out its options for four additional programs, Telix could rack up roughly $4.3 billion in milestones. Telix is up 7% in pre-market trading Monday.

“Targeted radiopharmaceuticals represent a rapidly emerging frontier in oncology and an exciting opportunity to bring new treatment options to patients,” John Lin, senior vice president of Oncology & Antibody Technology Research at Regeneron, said in a statement.

The companies did not say what specific cancer indications they plan to work on, only revealing that they will leverage Regeneron’s antibody portfolio, including bispecifics, to address “multiple solid tumor targets.”

With the Telix partnership, Regeneron looks to join its fellow Big Pharma players in the radiopharma race. Currently in the lead is Novartis, which has two assets on the market: Lutathera, first approved in 2018 for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET), and Pluvicto, given the FDA’s greenlight in 2022 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Lutathera grew 12% year-on-year in 2025 to bring in $816 million, while Pluvicto surged 42% to hit $1.99 billion in sales.

Chasing after Novartis is Eli Lilly, which in October 2023 dropped $1.4 billion to acquire Point Biopharma, followed in 2024 with a potential $1.1 billion partnership with Aktis Oncology and a $140 million bet with Radionetics Oncology. The Point purchase has been largely disappointing, though, with many assets from the deal either shelved or deprioritized following underwhelming data, according to reporting from OncologyPipeline.

Also in the race is Bristol Myers Squibb, which in December 2023 paid $4.1 billion to swallow RayzeBio and its alpha-emitter RYZ-101. Enrollment into a Phase 3 trial for the asset in GEP-NET was paused in 2024 due to supply issues. That same study is expected to hit primary completion later this year, according to a federal clinical trials database.

AstraZeneca is also playing in the radiopharma arena, buying its way into the market with a $2.4 billion acquisition of Fusion Pharmaceuticals in March 2024.