Senior Scientist, Delivery of Intracellular Biologics

Do you have a passion for Science? Would you like to apply your expertise to impact a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then AstraZeneca might be the one for you!

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

About AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, MD:

Our Gaithersburg, Maryland facility creates life-changing medicines for people around the world. This campus employs more than 3,500 experts in our field and is only a short drive from Washington, DC. This modern and vibrant scientific campus is the home of R&D and Oncology in the US. Here, we play host to some of the most cutting-edge technology and lab spaces, all designed to inspire collaboration and cross-functional science. We believe employees benefit from being challenged and inspired at work. We are dedicated to creating a culture of inclusion and collaboration.

The Gaithersburg site offers a variety of amenities to help boost productivity and help keep our employees happy and healthy. This includes a fitness center, employee healthcare clinic, electric vehicle charging stations, dry cleaning, full-service cafeteria and copy center. This is where you’ll find newly-designed, activity-based work spaces to suit a variety of working styles while growing collaboration between teams.

Summary of the group:

The Drug Delivery team is a part of the Dosage Form Design and Development group of Biopharmaceutical Development. The Drug Delivery team’s purpose is to improve patients’ lives by ensuring AstraZeneca’s therapies are as safe, effective, and convenient as possible using technologies that target delivery of medicines to the site of action and optimize their effective half-life. Our scientists drive innovative cross-disciplinary approaches for realizing such technologies and provide leadership from early research through CMC activities . Areas of focus include:

• Targeted delivery to specific cells, tissues, or organs to address previously undruggable targets and realize the potential of In Vivo Expressed Biologics
• Controlled release of pharmaceutical agents to optimize time in the therapeutic window, minimize dosing frequency and ultimately patient burden
• Localized delivery to optimize concentration at the desired target while minimizing off-site activity, systemic toxicity, and patient side effects
• Strategic Insight for Technology Development in Dosage Form Design and Development

We are seeking a talented and highly motivated scientist to join our dynamic group. A suitable candidate will help drive and support technological innovation in the development/assessment of nanoparticle-based vehicles for nucleic acid delivery toward realizing the potential of In Vivo Expressed Biologics.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead the development of customized nanoparticles for non-viral delivery of various nucleic acids to enable Vaccines, In Vivo Expressed Biologics and Cell Programming
• Support and lead implementation of capabilities to enable production of nanoparticle formulations to support preclinical studies including NHP studies
• Support and lead the development of novel biophysical methods for nanoplatform analysis
• Support and lead the development of novel methods for in vitro and in vivo assessment of nanoplatforms, and the establishment of IVIVC predictive capabilities
• Provide technical expertise, design, and execute experiments, analyze and present experimental data and sound recommendations
• Act as Subject Matter Expert (SME) in project teams and across the organization
• Identify and evaluate external technologies to support intracellular delivery of several nucleic acid modalities

Education & Experience Requirements:

• Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Materials Engineering, or a related discipline with 2+ years of relevant, post-graduate lipid nanoparticle/gene delivery experience

Required Skills:

• Relevant academic or industrial experience with nanoparticle formulations for the delivery of nucleic acids (e.g. mRNA, pDNA)
  • Practical experience with formulating lipid-based nanoparticles (LNP) using various fabrication processes
  • Practical experience with biophysical characterization of LNP/other nanoparticle types/relevant genetic payloads using state-of-the-art biophysical characterization techniques (e.g. chromatography, light scattering, electrophoresis)
• Experience with end-to-end nanoparticle and microparticle production processes for encapsulation of nucleic acids and biologics
• Experience with in vitro and in vivo evaluation of nanomedicines
• Quantitative aptitude, strong problem-solving skills, rigor in experimental design, data analysis and reporting
• Ability and interest in demonstrating insights from a wide range of disciplines (e.g. materials sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, analytics, data sciences) to develop creative solutions to complex problems in nucleic acid delivery
• Good understanding of biopharmaceutics and application of drug delivery to biopharmaceutical development.
• Flexibility and the ability to adjust to changing priorities and operate in a fast-paced industry environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; experience working in multidisciplinary teams

Desired Skills:

• Postdoctoral experience, proven track record in leading independent projects
• Experience with bioassays (e.g. transfections, flow cytometry, Eliza, RNA extractions/ transcriptomics)
• Experience with in vivo nanomedicine evaluation in rodent models
• Understanding of immunology in the context of drug bio-disposition and vaccine design
• Experience in the use of robotics and automation to support nanoparticle formulation screening, characterization, and lead identification
• AI & Machine Learning application to nucleic acid nanoparticle formulation design/assessment and implementation of frameworks to support decision making
• Track record of scientific competence in terms of publications, presentations, and networking activities.
• Good understanding of the overall drug development process and knowledge of CMC attributes that define formulation robustness.

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca when we see an opportunity for change, we seize it and make it happen, because any opportunity no matter how small, can be the start of something big. Delivering life-changing medicines is about being ambitious - finding those moments and recognizing their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organization to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering groundbreaking methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey.

So, what’s next!

Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available and we hope it’s yours.

Where can I find out more?

Check out our landing page for more information on our BPD group https://careers.astrazeneca.com/bpd

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AstraZeneca has taken critical steps to protecting colleagues, loved ones, and patients from COVID-19 and its variants. COVID-19 vaccination is required for all US employees, and weekly PCR COVID-19 testing is required for those who are unvaccinated or have an approved accommodation.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.