Scientist II, Analytical Development

Overview

Ready to join a team committed to moving gene therapies into the clinical and commercial settings for patients and families devastated by rare neurological genetic diseases? AveXis is advancing cutting-edge science to treat rare and life-threatening genetic diseases starting with our clinical-stage, proprietary gene therapy candidate, AVXS-101. We are in the midst of an incredible journey and are looking for passionate individuals to join us on this important mission.

AveXis, Inc., a Novartis Company , is a clinical-stage gene therapy company, dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments for patients suffering from rare and life-threatening neurological genetic diseases. Our initial product candidate, AVXS-101, is our proprietary gene therapy product candidate currently in development for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, Type 1, the leading genetic cause of infant mortality, and for the treatment of SMA Type 2. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has granted AVXS-101 Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of all types of SMA and Breakthrough Therapy Designation, as well as Fast Track Designation for the treatment of SMA Type 1. In addition to developing AVXS-101 to treat SMA Type 1 and Type 2, we also plan to develop other novel treatments for rare neurological diseases, including Rett syndrome (RTT) and a genetic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene.

AveXis is seeking a talented, motivated and detail-oriented Scientist to join the dynamic and growing analytical team to establish analytical methods suitable for lot disposition and characterization of gene therapy drug products and substances.

With general guidance from his/her supervisor, he/she will be responsible for the analytical method development, qualification and validation under phase-appropriate GMP and will also be part of method transfer and training team for successful transfer of the in-house qualified or validated assay to internal or external QC laboratories. The individual will have the ability to mentor junior group members for routine support work and technical trouble-shooting. Responsibilities will also include authoring tech reports, SOPs and qualification/validation protocols and reports, under general supervision and guidance. The role will involve laboratory work and effective communication among cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• With general supervision and guidance, develop, optimize and qualify/validate HPLC, CE, FFF-MALS based analytical methods suitable for gene therapy characterization, lot release and stability study based on scientific understanding of the products.
• Serve as SME to work with CROs by providing technical input and feedback.
• Work closely with functional groups (for example, R&D, QC/QA and manufacturing groups) to ensure win-win collaboration in developing/transferring analytical methods suitable for characterization, stability, and release testing purpose.
• Effectively communicate results both internally and externally by presentations or written reports.
• With general guidance, author/review SOPs and technical protocols/reports; Also responsible to generate/summarize scientific data in support of regulatory filings including IND and BLA.
• Guide junior group members on daily laboratory work; train new group members on general analytical lab skills.
• Actively participate and give suggestions on lab designing/management, instrumentation purchasing.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or M.S. in analytical chemistry or related scientific discipline is required. 2-5 years (Ph.D) or 5-8 years (M.S) of biopharma industry experience is required.
• Proven working knowledge and hands on experience on analytical method development/qualification/validation (SEC, FFF, IEC, RP-HPLC, CE-SDS, iCIEF, MALS, DLS and others) for proteins, vaccines and gene therapy drugs characterization and lot release.
• Good hands on experience and troubleshooting capability in analytical instrumentation (including but not limited to FFF, CE, HPLC, MALS, DLS) and software (including but not limited to Chromeleon, Empower, Chemstation, Astra, 32 Karat)
• Scientific understanding and working experience on proteins, vaccines or gene therapy drugs are required
• Demonstrated technical writing skills and experience in authoring development reports and SOPs with detail-oriented trait.
• Previous GxP experience is preferred.
• Self-motivated, hard-working and detail-oriented. Demonstrated capability to work in a fast-paced team environment with highly goal-oriented approaches and to prioritize work from multiple projects with can-do attitude is required.
• Demonstrated potential to explore new techniques and assess value-added platforms based on special needs associated with characterization of the gene therapy drug products.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Other responsibilities:

This position is located out of our La Jolla area facility and may require up to 10% travel between La Jolla, third party vendors (domestic) and our HQ and Manufacturing sites located in the Chicago area.

The level of this position will be based on the final candidate's qualifications.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

AveXis is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, age, sexual orientation or veteran status.