Senior Scientist – Antibody Engineering 12 Months Stevenage (Some remote work available) £25.64p/h PAYE
Role Brief:
Large Molecule Discovery (LMD) within is a department dedicated to the discovery of novel and effective biopharmaceutical medicines. This department comprises several complementary functions focused on the progression of a portfolio of biopharmaceuticals from initial antibody discovery, expression and characterisation to molecular engineering, biological and physiochemical profiling. Within the LMD, the Molecular Design and Engineering (MDE) group takes accountability for antibody engineering and developability profiling prior to candidate selection to continuously improve molecule quality and transform discovered leads into potential therapeutics.
We are currently seeking a diligent and motivated scientist to join the Antibody Engineering team within MDE. The role will be primarily lab focused, working with matrix program teams. The role will involve identifying risks and liabilities to early-stage biologics using predictive models and sequence analysis, designing of de-risked & more developable variants, running molecular biology work packages (cloning, DNA upscaling) to generate plasmids required for expression, and evaluating the designed variants in chromatography and binding assays. These activities will focus on delivery of more developable molecule variants.
Key responsibilities:
Analysing antibody sequences and interpreting data from predictive models to identify potential liabilities, and providing strategic recommendations for molecule engineering, humanization, and de-risking to program teams.
Designing de-risked variants in silico and prioritizing molecules for production.
Developing and exploring innovative engineering strategies with the aim of creating evolutionarily plausible variants with strong developability profiles.
Collaborating with Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and internal teams, ensuring the timely generation of required synthetic DNA and meeting program timelines.
Cloning antibodies, bispecifics, and other advanced formats into expression vectors, followed by sequencing the generated plasmids.
Evaluating the designed molecules using chromatography and binding assays.
Working independently to analyse/interpret generated data, providing clear conclusions & recommendations to project teams within agreed timeframe to enable key decisions.
Timely recording of experimental work in lab notebooks, registering of sequences and samples in internal databases and repositories.
Adhering to safety and other company rules and regulations, maintaining lab equipment and reagents when appropriate.
Working on matrix teams with other groups in Large Molecule Discovery.
Qualifications & Skills:
We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:
Graduate or postgraduate degree in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, or a related discipline.
Track record of recent scientific success, evidenced by relevant post-degree experience in either academia or industry.
Proficiency in molecular biology, protein design and engineering, DNA cloning, preparation, upscaling, and analysis of sequencing results.
Established experience in antibody discovery and/or design, with a broad scientific understanding of the relationship between antibody sequence/structure and function.
Basic experience or knowledge about bispecifics and other advanced antibody formats.
Ability to quickly adapt to new scientific areas and work collaboratively across teams.
A passion for the AI revolution and the application of AI in molecule design space.
Preferred Qualifications & Skills:
If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:
Experience in using computational models for predicting antibody properties.
Experience in one or more of the following areas: analysing of immune repertoire with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), performing antibody modelling and structure analysis, or utilizing AI models for molecule design.
Practical experience with Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC), Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) for protein stability evaluation, and/or AC-SINS.
Proficiency in using automated data analysis and/or visualization software.
Experience in the use and design of automated solutions for scientific workflows.
A solid understanding of the antibody discovery process.