Postdoc: Biophysical and structural studies

Postdoc: Biophysical and structural studies Protein-Oligonucleotide Interactions

Gothenburg, Sweden

Do you have expertise in, or passion for Biophysics Oligonucleutide Therapeutics? Would you like to apply your knowledge to study intracellular proteins and oligonucleotides/RNA interactions in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines? Then this postdoc opportunity at AstraZeneca might be the one for you!



About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-centred biopharmaceutical company that focuses on discovering, developing, and commercialising prescription medicines for some of the world's most serious diseases. But we're more than one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. At AstraZeneca, we're dedicated to being a Great Place to Work, where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and fuel your entrepreneurial spirit. There's no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society.



About the Postdoc Programme

Bring your expertise, apply your knowledge, follow the science, and make a difference. AstraZeneca's Postdoc Programme is for self-motivated individuals looking to deliver exciting, high-impact projects in a collaborative, engaging and innovative environment. You'll work with multidisciplinary scientific teams from a diverse set of backgrounds and a world-class academic mentor specifically aligned to your project. Our postdocs are respected as specialists, encouraged to speak up, and supported to share their research at conferences, publish papers, achieve their goals and make a difference to our patients.



This is a 3-year programme, with an initial 2-year period and 1-year merit-based extension.



About the Opportunity

Working from our vibrant Gothenburg site in Sweden, you will have the critical task of developing biophysical assays to study intracellular proteins and oligonucleotides/RNA interactions (particularly antisense oligos, ASOs). Through biophysical technologies such as Surface plasmon resonance (SPR), Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), Differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) and single molecule microscopy (SMM), you will significantly impact current oligonucleotide projects, providing insights on the correlations between chemistry and efficacy and safety of ASOs in biological systems.

As an expert in RNA biophysics, you will utilise your expertise in assay development, propose experimental strategies and troubleshoot challenges to succeed in your role. You will also be involved in protein production and oligonucleotide design in close collaboration with the team. This work will be fundamental to uncover ASOs mechanism of action and provide crucial insights for developing new oligonucleotide-based therapeutics.

You will:

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apply biophysical techniques such as SPR, ITC, DSF and SMM and develop novel assays specific to RNA targets
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actively investigate and propose proteins that could be of interest by affecting the efficacy of oligonucleotides in response to chemical modifications
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based on preliminary studies and your observation, design and label new oligonucleotide and RNA probes

You will join the Mechanistic and Structural Biology team at AstraZeneca with extensive experience in measuring molecular interactions, be supervised by Anders Gunnarsson, Associate Principle Scientist, Biophysics at AstraZeneca and receive academic mentorship from Sébastien Campagne, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, Bordeaux, a leading expert in oligonucleotides-based therapeutics.

This position offers the opportunity to be creative in a nowadays groundbreaking field of Oligonucleotide Therapeutics. The wide window of exploration and the active collaboration with multiple experts across AstraZeneca functions will provide an outstanding opportunity to apply biophysical techniques both in vitro and in cells. This strong network of experts will help ensure a high impact publication track record.



Qualification, Skills & Experience

Essential Requirements

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PhD or postdoc in RNA biophysics.
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Sophisticated and up to date knowledge in RNA modalities and Biophysical technologies
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Experience in RNA biology assays.
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Passion for exploring innovative ways to bringing big data together in biologically meaningful ways



Desirable Requirements

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Knowledge in the area of Oligonucleotide Therapeutics, including design and synthesis.
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Hands-on experience in Cellular Assays.
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Scientific excellence as shown by previous work, publication list or references from scientific mentors.



Are you already envisioning yourself joining our team? Good, because we can't wait to hear from you.



Advert Opens: October 12th 2022

Advert Closes: November 17th 2022



Where can I find out more?

Biopharmaceuticals R&D site

AstraZeneca´s Postdoc Programme

Our Gothenburg site

Life at AstraZeneca