Make a more meaningful impact to patients’ lives around the globe

At AstraZeneca you’ll have the chance to create a meaningful difference to patients’ lives. With science at its heart, this is the place where breakthroughs born in the lab become transformative medicines – for the world’s most complex diseases. Answer unmet medical needs by pioneering the next wave of science, focusing on outcomes and crafting the patient ecosystem.

Always advancing our scientific knowledge and helping to shape the future of healthcare for the greatest and swiftest impact on disease.

Our Function
Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences (CPSS) is a multi-faceted department which underpins AstraZeneca’s Biopharmaceutical and Oncology Portfolio from target selection through to Life-cycle management.
The Regulatory Toxicology and Safety Pharmacology team sits within CPSS and plays a central role in progressing a rich and diverse pipeline comprising many different modalities across all of our therapeutic areas. We work collaboratively to deliver safety science from early discovery through clinical development, with emphasis on the science and studies required to enable the clinical development of new medicines. Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences (CPSS) is a multi-faceted department which underpins AstraZeneca’s Biopharmaceutical and Oncology Portfolio from target selection through to Life-cycle management. To help deliver our growing portfolio, AstraZeneca are currently seeking a talented in vitro pharmacologist to join the Safety & Mechanistic Pharmacology team.

The role

Working closely with drug safety specialists and project safety pharmacologists, you’ll be key in helping to influence drug design early in drug discovery. You’ll aid the selection of safer molecules and contribute towards the development of mitigation plans for the safety risks identified.

This role is primarily desk-based and would suit a highly motivated, capable scientist who has a desire to join a vibrant group of like-minded experts in their field and to collaborate with global AstraZeneca scientists to support drug safety assessment - a critical component of the drug discovery and development process.

What you’ll do

• Generate in vitro pharmacological profiling data via outsourced partners
• Identify off-target risks of concern, interpreting undesirable off target pharmacological interactions and translating in vitro activity at specific targets to pre-clinical and clinical adverse events to contextualise the potential safety related risks
• Apply your pharmacological, toxicological and biological expertise to build scientific hypotheses and testing strategies to understand molecular mechanisms of in vivo pre-clinical and clinical toxicity, all contributing to the risk assessment for patients and influencing project progression
• Interpret off-target pharmacological profiling data to influence project decision-making and compound selection
• Design and implement specific in vitro mechanistic work-plans to address project specific drug safety/toxicity questions and increase our understanding of the translation of in vitro to in vivo
• Maintain an awareness of current developments in literature and contributing towards the continuous improvement of AstraZeneca’s off-target profiling strategy
• Present scientific data alongside interpreting and relaying this data to project teams, departmental or functional meetings; and externally via poster and oral conference presentations and authorship on peer-reviewed publications.

Essential Criteria

• A PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant scientific specialism with a strong grounding in pharmacology (e.g. pharmacology, biology, biochemistry, toxicology, physiology) with an exceptional track-record in driving innovative science, preferably in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry
• Strong technical experience of in vitro pharmacological or biochemical assay development and screening (e.g. radioligand binding, enzyme activity and functional cell-based systems) as applied to a range of biological target classes
• Experience working with off-target profiling data and strategies in the pharmaceutical industry
• Excellent problem-solving skills, focus on delivery and outstanding communication skills
• A true collaborator, you will be team-centric, you’ll demonstrate highly effective networking skills and will be practised in collaborating across interfaces of scientific specialism, culture, and expertise.

Desirable Criteria

• A practical understanding of broad profiling technologies, such as proteomics would be beneficial

Interested? Great we can’t wait to hear from you!

Location: Cambridge UK

Salary: Competitive + Excellent Benefits!

Please apply by submitting your CV by 7th September 2024

Where Can I Find Out More?

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When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

Date Posted

03-Sept-2024

Closing Date

07-Sept-2024Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.