Proteomics-informed prediction of drug exposure in paediatrics

Postdoctoral Fellow: Proteomics-informed prediction of drug exposure in paediatrics

Gothenburg, Sweden

Do you have expertise in, or passion for, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics? Would you like to apply your knowledge to impact the development of drugs for paediatric patients in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines? Then this postdoc position at AstraZeneca might be the one for you!



About AstraZeneca:

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-centred biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering, developing, and commercialising prescription medicines for some of the world's most serious diseases. But we're more than a global leading pharmaceutical company. At AstraZeneca, we're dedicated to being a Great Place to Work and empowering employees to push the boundaries of science and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit. There's no better place to make a difference in 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 an encouraging, 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 a 1-year merit-based extension.



About the Opportunity:

CVRM (Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism) is one of AstraZeneca's three main therapeutic research areas, which deliver candidate drugs into clinical development. CVRM DMPK (Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics) is based in AstraZeneca's world-class, vibrant R&D centre in Gothenburg, Sweden. In addition, DMPK interacts with other functions in supporting CVRM projects along the value chain, from target selection to launch and life cycle management.

We have an exciting Postdoctoral Fellow opportunity where you will join a team of ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) scientists working with experts across AstraZeneca to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients. You will explore and expand our ability to set the accurate dose in infants and children using proteomics-informed PBPK models. Ultimately, this research will enable us to quantitively predict the dose adjustments required in paediatrics.

This role spans multiple scientific fields, from in vitro ADME and proteomics to PBPK (Physiologically-Based PharmacoKinetic) modelling. You will investigate the cross-species maturation of major enzymes and transporters in the kidneys and liver by generating protein expression and complementary functional data. By incorporating the ontogeny profiles into PBPK models, you will develop and characterise paediatric models that predict changes in drug exposure in paediatric patients compared to adults. By comparing the predictions with clinical data, you will strive to generate insights that improve dose selection for the paediatric population.

This is an exciting opportunity for you to join a strong team at the forefront of DMPK science, to innovate and support the portfolio of a major pharmaceutical company with science at its heart, based in the wonderful city of Gothenburg, Sweden. You will be supervised by Anna Vildhede, an Associate Principal Scientist in CVRM DMPK at AstraZeneca and receive academic mentorship from two external academic supervisors, Per Artursson, Professor at Uppsala University and one of the world´s most highly cited scientists in his field, and Sibylle Neuhoff, Senior Principal Scientist at the Simcyp division of Certara UK Ltd.



Qualification, Skills & Experience:

Essential Requirements

* A PhD in Pharmacy, Biology, Biochemistry, Medical Biosciences, or a related field
* Hands-on experience with in vitro techniques that are related to ADME studies, including the design, execution, and analysis of results from complex biochemical/cellular assays
* Strong track record of first-authored work published in reputable scientific journals

Desirable Requirements

* Experience with bioanalytical techniques, e.g., LC-MS
* Understanding or curiosity about PBPK modelling
* Solid understanding of omics technologies (genomics, proteomics)



Why Should You Apply?

This is a unique opportunity to make an impact by improving therapeutic dose predictions in infants and children with the potential to help shape AstraZeneca's clinical trials strategy for the paediatric population. You will work with highly skilled experts from multiple fields and build technical expertise and a scientific network inside and outside AstraZeneca.

As a respected specialist, you'll be empowered to take credible risks, own it and run with it, with all the support you need. Because like you, we're passionate and driven experts looking to change the game, and make an impact.



Where can I find out more?

Our Gothenburg site

AstraZeneca's Postdoc Programme

Life at AstraZeneca