Postdoc - Postdoctoral Fellow - Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics - Bioanalysis Development Scien

About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and LinkedIn .

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 Sciences and BioPharma. 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. Technical expert that will investigate, identify, develop and optimize new methods/ techniques to address critical project needs. Continuously seek to improve existing laboratory methods and processes. Read and adapt literature to accomplish assignments. Demonstrate mastery of broad range of experimental techniques and methods of data analysis.

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

Through our Postdoc 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. The program offers a balance of structured learning and work experience, with accessibility to high-level knowledge building across the drug development continuum. This assignment is expected to be two years and no more than three years.

Background:

The Discovery portfolio is increasingly comprised of targets outside traditional target space (e.g., protein-protein disruption) and targets utilizing novel modalities (e.g., degraders). This has led to an increase in compounds with challenging properties such as poor solubility, poor permeability, high non-specific binding or very low metabolic turnover in stability assays. These types of compounds are extremely challenging for traditional in vitro ADME assays, resulting in high assay failure ("no value") rates, poor in vitro-to-in vivo correlations, and increased use of animals when these assays underperform or are poorly predictive. Therefore, improvements to in vitro methods are required to support the changing nature of the Discovery portfolio. Using recent advancements in cellular disposition assays and kinetic modeling, the objective of this proposal is to develop in vitro methods to measure DMPK endpoints of interest (e.g. uptake, efflux, and intrinsic clearance) for compounds with challenging properties and low metabolic turnover in hepatocyte models.

Scientific Focus:

1.New models of integrated hepatocyte uptake, efflux and metabolism: Test specific hypotheses with guidance from mentors. Several novel experiments are queued up for the candidate to conduct and expand on. Experiments involve use of cryopreserved hepatocytes from human and/or preclinical species. Bioanalysis will be supported by our bioanalytical function.

2.Application of basic kinetic modeling principles and curve fitting, plasma protein binding, transporter science and enzymology: After establishing a model, it can be evaluated using proprietary and non-proprietary compounds with diverse physicochemical properties (e.g. "beyond rule of 5"). The "free-drug hypothesis" can be tested with the model and compared with dogma and emerging explanations of albumin mediated clearance.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Maintain a high level of productivity in the laboratory setting.
• Demonstrate the ability to resolve key project hurdles and assumptions by effectively utilizing available information and technical expertise.
• Proactively seek out new information in the literature and incorporate this into individual project(s) as well as the overall program.
• Publish research in peer-reviewed journals and present work at scientific conferences.
• Effective writer and communicator of research.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toxicology, Pharmacology, Cell Biology, or related field with a thorough theoretical and practical understanding of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics
• Graduate of accredited and nationally ranked university
• Record of publication in a prestigious journal(s)
• Excellent problem-solving skills including critical and analytical thinking
• Excellent communication, leadership, and project management skills
• Demonstrated scientific writing skills and strong verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to independently design and execute experiments, interpret data, and identify appropriate follow-up strategies
• Proven track record of teamwork, adaptability, innovation, initiative, and integrity
• Global mindset to thrive in a diverse culture and environment
• Ability to multitask and work within timelines
• Must be authorized to work in the United States
• Provide three letters of recommendation (Thesis Advisor)
• Provide letter of intent to pursue Postdoc
• Basic proficiency in data analysis software packages (e.g. Excel, GraphPad Prism)
  
  Key Leadership Competencies:

• Builds strong relationships with peers and cross functionally with partners outside of the immediate team to enable higher performance
• Learns fast, grasps the "essence" and can change course quickly where indicated
• Raises the bar and is never satisfied with the status quo
• Creates a learning environment, open to suggestions and experiments to drive the science in the field of interest
• Embraces the ideas of others, nurtures innovation and manages innovation to reality

Significant Work Activities
Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day)
Travel
No
Job Type
Experienced
Schedule
Full-time
Job Level Code
IC
Equal Employment Opportunity
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.