Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics
Be a part of the legacy: Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program
Our Research Laboratories’ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program aims to be a best-in-industry program for industrial postdoctoral researchers, designed to provide you with an academic focus in a commercial environment. With the resources, reach, and expertise of a large pharmaceutical company, postdoctoral researchers will be positioned to excel in an institution committed to breakthrough innovation in research and discovery.
Position Overview:
Scientific Question
Monoclonal antibodies continue to be a promising modality for prevention and treatment of disease. However, there still are many unknowns with respect to mAb disposition and pharmacokinetics, leading to sub-optimal development of such compounds. This is especially the case for half-life extended or Fc-modified mAbs. The goal of the project is to leverage (rich internal and external) preclinical and clinical data to establish better translational modeling strategies. This project will focus on three domains: 1) pharmacokinetics, 2) distribution/tissue partitioning, and 3) bioavailability/absorption after subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. Empirical and/or physiologically-based modeling can be used to understand the cross-species translation of these three domains and identify predictive preclinical animal models to support human dose projections. The results of these analyses will be used to identify promising therapeutic candidates and optimize mAb properties during discovery to maximize the probability of success during development. That’s where you come in…
What is the Position?
As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, you will work with a collaborative team of scientists in quantitative pharmacology, preclinical ADME, and discovery biology. You will develop new quantitative models using published and in-house data on the pharmacokinetics of half-life extended antibodies. These models will then be validated and used for preclinical to clinical translation of monoclonal antibody pharmacokinetics and drug disposition. All Postdoctoral Research Fellows work with a dedicated mentor, collaborate with experienced scientists, and are fully integrated into the larger Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics group.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Surveying and curating the literature for preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetic data for half-life extended monoclonal antibodies;
- Synthesizing published data with in-house data on our companyassets to develop analysis datasets;
- Developing PK models to characterize the effect of various half-life extension mutations on the pharmacokinetics, disposition, and absorption of monoclonal antibodies;
- Collaborating with cross-functional colleagues on how these models can be applied to optimize monoclonal antibody design;
- Present your research at conferences and/or publish in peer-reviewed journals.
Education Minimum Requirement:
- Candidates must currently hold a PhD or will you have completed your PhD within the next year.
- Degree in mathematical biology, systems biology, statistics / biostatistics, mathematics / applied mathematics, computer science, computational biology / chemistry, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, pharmacometrics, chemical / biomedical engineering, or a related field.
Required/Desired Experience and Skills:
- Experience with pharmacokinetic modeling (e.g., population PK [popPK] modeling, physiologically-based pharmacokinetic [PBPK] modeling);
- Proficiency in at least one programming language or pharmacometrics application (e.g., R, MATLAB, Python, NONMEM, Monolix, Phoenix WinNonlin, or other language);
- Scientific writing skill, demonstrated by publication record (includes preprints).
Preferred Experience and Skills:
- Knowledge of monoclonal antibody pharmacokinetic properties, respiratory viruses, or neurological diseases;
- Experiencing modeling preclinical or clinical pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies;
- Experience working in multidisciplinary teams that include clinicians and biologists.
MRLpostdoc