Postdoc - Postdoctoral Research Fellow:Establishment and Characterization of High Throughput Patient

AbbVie is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company with a mission to use expertise of dedicated people and unique approach to innovation and to develop advanced therapies that address some of the world's most complex and serious diseases. The Postdoctoral Program is designed for true investigational and experimental research. Participants will be mentored by renowned industry scientists and collaborators at AbbVie and focused on delivering cutting-edge advancements in discovery, development new treatment modalities. The enriching training program offers a balance of structured learning and work experience which fosters a learning environment to advance individual development with accessibility to high-level knowledge building across the drug development continuum.

To be successful, we need outstanding individuals willing to challenge themselves to find the best solutions for our patients. The AbbVie Postdoctoral Program is one way we are doing just that.

Through our Postdoctoral Program, we are hiring postdocs from key academic institutions for preferred areas of science in the U.S., while providing a unique opportunity for participants to build a solid career foundation in the pharmaceutical industry while building the AbbVie brand as an employer of choice for scientific talent. Participants in the Postdoctoral Program play an integral part in our continued success and will help us to further grow as a leader in our industry. The successful candidate will conduct novel and impactful research over a 2-3-year period. High-impact publications and presentations at scientific meetings are expected outcomes along with the opportunity to gain valuable experience working within a top-tier biopharmaceutical company. This assignment is expected to be for two years minimally and no more than three years.

In its 4 th year since inception of the AbbVie Postdoctoral Program launch, we are looking to advance the Postdoctoral Program at AbbVie's Oncology hub in South San Francisco. In a collaborative, resource rich environment, you and your scientific mentor will be exploring, targeting, investigating and evaluating key areas of novel research with a publication as the end point. We have an exceptional postdoctoral opportunity within our Oncology Discovery reporting into a Principal Research Scientist studying the establishment and characterization of high throughput patient-derived organoids and drug response in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) within the Tumor Biology Group based in South San Francisco, California.

Oncology is a key therapeutic area for AbbVie, with a portfolio consisting of three marketed products and a pipeline containing multiple promising new molecules that are being studied in nearly 200 clinical trials in 19 different types of cancer.

AbbVie is expanding its oncology hub on the West Coast, with three sites in the San Francisco Bay Area (Redwood City, South San Francisco, and Sunnyvale) focused on the discovery and development of noveloncology therapies. More than 1,000 AbbVie scientists, statisticians, clinicians, and product developers with strong entrepreneurial roots work across these three sites. They combine their expertise in immuno-oncology, tumor initiating cells, and cell-signaling with their knowledge of bispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and covalent-inhibitor technologies to discover and develop novel cancer treatments.

The research program for the postdoctoral position within the Tumor Biology group at the South San Francisco Oncology site is critical to the broader oncology preclinical strategy and is expected to deliver insights into biology relevant to disease modeling and therapeutic strategies. In addition to disease modeling, the research program will be relevant to developing an ex vivo modeling system that assists with identification and validation of drug discovery programs for next generation targeted therapies for Oncology.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish a robust 3D model system from NSCLC patient-derived xenograft models
• Characterize the model system through systematic evaluation of histology, gene expression, gene mutations and proteomics
• Establish coculture conditions with tumor micro environment (TME) players, including stroma and immune cells to study the influence of TME on organoid characteristics
• Develop high throughput and robust 3D model platform working with the Automation group at AbbVie to study drug response such as standard of care (SOC) and immune checkpoint inhibitors
• Identify candidate genes with potential roles in acquired chemoresistance through matched profiling of 3D models in chemo naïve and chemo-resistant state
• Establish protocols for genetic modification of organoids by retroviral overexpression/knockdown or with CRISPR technology to understand the effect such modifications have on organoid growth, differentiation and biological function

Basic qualifications:

• PhD and 1-3 years of experience in the field of Bioengineering/Biotechnology applied to Cancer/Cell Biology from an accredited and nationally ranked University with demonstrated track record of innovative scientific publications
• Expertise with generation, maintenance and biology of 3D organoid cultures of cancer/stem cells
• Experience with immune cell biology and primary culture of immune cells
• Excellent in vitro and molecular biology skills
• Familiarity with the pathophysiology of lung cancer
• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Provide a narrative on why your academic training would qualify you for this position and why you have a sustained interest in this program
• Provide three letters of recommendation, one at least from your PI, and preferably, one from a member of your thesis committee

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with cell labelling techniques
• Experience with immunohistochemistry and image analysis
• Expertise with in vivo cancer models and knowledge of cellular signaling pathways
• Experience with genetic manipulation of organoids
• Ability to effectively work both independently and collaboratively
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and project management skills

Key AbbVie Competencies:

• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of the core team to enable higher performance
• Learns fast, grasps the 'essence' and can change the course quickly where indicated
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo
• Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experimentation for improvement
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality

www.abbvie.com

http://k.rfer.us/ABBVIEN6xCam

For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic.