AstraZeneca has an opening for a Senior Scientist in the Cell Therapy group to support pre-clinical research of innovative therapeutic products. The main duties for the ideal candidate are to help build AAV technologies to support AstraZeneca’s  Biopharmaceutical division.

About AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, MD

Our Gaithersburg, Maryland facility creates life-changing medicines for people around the world. This campus employs more than 3,500 experts in our field and is only a short drive from Washington, DC. This modern and vibrant scientific campus is the home of R&D and Oncology in the US. Here, we play host to some of the most cutting-edge technology and lab spaces, all designed to inspire collaboration and cross-functional science. We believe employees benefit from being challenged and inspired at work. We are dedicated to creating a culture of inclusion and collaboration.

The Gaithersburg site offers a variety of amenities to help boost productivity and help keep our employees happy and healthy. This includes a fitness center, employee healthcare clinic, electric vehicle charging stations, dry cleaning, full-service cafeteria and copy center. This is where you’ll find newly-designed, activity-based work spaces to suit a variety of working styles while increasing collaboration between teams.

Summary of the Group

The Cell Therapeutics Technology group within the Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering Department develops gene and cell therapy technologies and supports pre-clinical research of innovative therapeutic products. The main duties for the ideal candidate are to help build AAV-based approaches to support AstraZeneca’s technology platform development and pipeline projects across all therapy areas.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• The candidate will be responsible for supporting AAV platform build.  Specifically, he/she will work on helper-virus-based AAV production systems for scalable AAV manufacturing and will extensively characterize engineered AAV vectors in vitro and in vivo.
• Will also be responsible for animal studies to investigate in vivo biodistributions
• Will be working in a multidisciplinary matrix environment to further improve strategies towards clinical applications.
• Must be able to multi-task, manage multiple projects simultaneously

Education & Experience Requirements

BS degree with 5+ years of laboratory research experience, or MS degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, immunology or relevant scientific discipline with 2+ years of laboratory research experience

Required Skills

• Hands-on experience in AAV vector design, production and characterization
• Experience in helper-based AAV production system using adenovirus, HSV or baculoviruses
• Proven record of productivity and technical skills 
• Experience in mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, immunoassays, flow cytometry, quantitative PCR methods
• Proven ability to work independently and effectively plan and organize work activities and prioritize task completion to meet schedules and deadlines
• Excellent verbal communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
• Strong collaboration and team-working skills

Desired Skills

• Prior experience in animal studies
• Knowledge in AAV and gene therapy
• Bioinformatic analysis

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca when we see an opportunity for change, we seize it and make it happen, because any opportunity no matter how small, can be the start of something big. Delivering life-changing medicines is about being entrepreneurial - finding those moments and recognizing their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organization to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering cutting edge methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey.

So, what’s next?

Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available and we hope it’s yours.

Where can I find out more?

Our Social Media, Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/1603/

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Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.  We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.  We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.  We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.  We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.