PAT chats with Marina Kirkitadze

Process Analytical Technology (PAT) has been part of the pharmaceutical industry's vision for more than two decades, yet its adoption and impact continue to evolve. As companies seek greater process understanding, faster decision-making, and more efficient manufacturing, PAT is increasingly being viewed not simply as a collection of analytical tools, but as a framework for connecting data, processes, software, and people.

In this interview series, Marina Kirkitadze shares her perspectives on where PAT delivers value today, where challenges remain, and what is required to move from isolated measurements to real-time process understanding. With her experience across biopharma manufacturing, process development, analytics, and digitalization, Marina discusses the technical, regulatory, and organizational factors that shape successful PAT initiatives.

Across the series, the discussions explore how PAT supports process development and manufacturing, why software is essential for transforming data into decisions, how machine learning can assist process monitoring, and how organizations can scale PAT across sites and external partners (such as CDMOs) while maintaining alignment, transparency, and trust.

Whether you are involved in manufacturing, process development, quality, digitalization, or technology transfer, these conversations provide practical insight into the opportunities and realities of implementing PAT in today's pharmaceutical environment.

Marina Kirkitadze
PAT, Bioprocessing and Digital Manufacturing Expert

Marina is the founder of the "Marina Kirkitadze Economic Feasibility Consultancy”, an independent advisory practice specializing in technical, economic, and regulatory feasibility for biotech, pharmaceutical, laboratory, and light‑industrial projects across the UAE. Marina is also a Consultant at Biocraft Research Consultancy, Abu Dhabi, UAE. She has 21 years’ experience in the vaccine industry, and overall, 30 years of experience in biotechnology.

Marina received her Bachelor of Science in Physics, Biophysics at Tbilisi State University, Republic of Georgia, continued her graduate studies and received her PhD in Biological Sciences at the Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia, and her MBA from the University of Phoenix, AZ, USA.

Marina demonstrated effectiveness in leading cross-border teams, implementing quality management systems, and driving process optimization under stringent regulatory standards (cGMP, GLP, ISO). Proven track record in securing regulatory approvals across multiple jurisdictions (FDA, EMA, Health Canada). Adept at integrating innovative technologies, including Process Analytical Technology (PAT), to enhance product development and manufacturing efficiency. Marina is the author of 51 peer-reviewed manuscripts.

At the Technology Innovation Institute, Marina implemented a quality management system for a biotechnology center and gained practical insight into the UAE regulatory environment through collaboration with the Department of Health Abu Dhabi. Her recent collaboration with Skillscaper allowed to dive into the field of educational technology and gain experience with immersive simulations aimed to assess skills and performance of the personnel. She’s committed to advancing the UAE’s tech bio landscape by connecting global expertise, catalyzing innovation, and promoting sustainable, data-driven biotech solutions.

Anna Codina
Senior Director of Strategy and Business Development at SciY

Anna focuses on enabling data-driven orchestration across the pharmaceutical value chain. With a background in experimental science, analytical development, and digital innovation, she works at the intersection of data, automation, and AI to accelerate scientific workflows and decision-making.

Anna holds a Ph.D. in protein NMR from the University of Barcelona and completed postdoctoral research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. She spent seven years in Analytical R&D at Pfizer, specializing in reaction monitoring, impurity characterization, and regulatory submissions, and was recognized with a Pfizer Worldwide Achievement Award for implementing NMR-based reaction monitoring in an open-access environment.

Since joining Bruker, Anna has held multiple leadership roles across applications, product management, and biopharma business development and market management. In her current role at SciY, she drives strategy for vendor-agnostic data platforms and digital solutions that connect instruments, robotics, and enterprise systems enabling orchestration, AI-powered experimentation and scalable workflows across R&D, CROs/CDMOs, and manufacturing.