Postdoctoral Fellows - Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics
US-MA-Cambridge
The Clinical Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics (CPP) group is seeking for
outstanding candidates for 2 postdoctoral positions with a term of 2-3 years.
in pharmacometrics (exposure-response modeling with imaging outcomes). Both
positions offer unique opportunity to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
to facilitate all stages of CNS drug development, and is focused on the
application of PK/PD mechanistic modeling and simulation to characterize PK and
PD of novel modalities. These are ideal opportunities for individuals with
quantitative background and affinity to biomedical problems to attain deep
specialization and expertise in clinical pharmacology and drug development.
Postdoctoral Job Descriptions:
* Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Modeling Imaging Outcomes
Multiple neurology programs in Biogen are targeted at modifying the natural
turnover of harmful proteins. The CPP function develops models relating the
exposure (PK) to the time course of target protein. Understanding of and
incorporating information for the natural turnover rate of the target proteins
in these models is essential for the evaluation of the biological and
disease-related activity of our drug candidates. We are looking for a motivated
candidate to become a part of the joint effort between CPP and Biomarker Center
of Excellence to integrate model derived knowledge about the target proteins in
the existing mechanistic PK-PD models based on early phase clinical data. The
methodology developed will be validated with data from number of drug
development programs. Such methodology has not been critically and
comprehensively evaluated in the existing literature, so it will represent
significant scientific novelty, and can be published extensively. The project
scope includes performing hands-on preclinical, translational and clinical
modeling tasks using nonlinear mixed effects and physiologically-based modeling
techniques to support dose selection, optimization and clinical trial design.
* Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Gene Therapy
Gene therapy began 20 years ago and over a thousand clinical trials have been
carried out. In the field of clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics, gene
therapy is a novel modality with sparse literature. While the concept of
"drug" continuously evolve from pills to biotechnology, it is expected that
PK/PD concepts and models that have proved to be crucial in the understanding
and prediction of effects of traditional drugs can also be extended to gene
therapy. We are looking for a motivated candidate to support the scientific
investigation and PK/PD modeling efforts for Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV)-based
gene therapy platform across therapeutic areas at Biogen. The project scope
includes designing fit-for-purpose PK/PD studies, performing hands-on
preclinical, translational and clinical modeling projects using nonlinear mixed
effects and physiologically-based modeling techniques to support dose
selection, optimization and clinical trial design. The methodologies used in
PK/PD of tradition drug modalities have not been evaluated for AAV-based gene
therapy in the existing literature, so this project entails significant and
clinically meaningful innovation in both the scientific and medical communities.
For both positions, the successful candidate should have a strong interest in
developing novel methods and creative problem solving in PK/PD modeling and
simulation. This candidate will be an integral part of CPP and work in close
collaboration with scientific experts from preclinical and clinical drug
development. During this fellowship, this candidate will have a full and
diverse immersion in all stages of drug development at the cutting edge of
biotechnology, and an opportunity to make an impactful contribution on the
development of novel therapeutics in Alzheimer and other neurodegenerative
diseases in the discipline of clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics.
Qualifications
* Must have a doctoral degree in Applied mathematics, Pharmacometrics,
Biomedical or Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a closely
related discipline
* Previous experience in modeling and simulation using PK/PD data with
hands-on familiarity in Phoenix WinNonlin, NONMEM, R, Monolix is preferred.
* Previous experience in CNS biomedical research is preferred, but not
required.
* Team player and effective communicator with the ability to contribute
independently
* Publication record at conferences and/or peer reviewed journals
Education
Recent PhD in Pharmacometrics, Applied mathematics, Biomedical or Chemical
Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a closely related discipline. These
positions are an excellent opportunity for somebody with quantitative skills
and wider biology exposure to get special focus in clinical pharmacology and
pharmacokinetics.
Employment Category
Full-Time Regular
Contact
Ivan Nestorov ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>) or
Lilly East ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ).
About Biogen
Biogen is one of the pioneers in biotechnology. Biogen has the leading
portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), has the first and only
approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and is at the forefront of
research into new medicines for neurological and neurodegenerative conditions.
Led by world-class research and development, Biogen uses novel science and
leading-edge technologies to create, commercialize, and manufacture
transformative therapies for patients with few or no treatment options.
Ivan
Ivan Nestorov, PhD
Sr. Director, Pharmacometrics
Biogen Inc
225 Binney Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
Tel: 617-679-2541
Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>