Preclinical DMPK Project Leader

Do you have extensive Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetic (DMPK) expertise with a background in medicinal chemistry, pharmacy, pharmaceutical science and/or drug discovery, and would you like to apply your expertise in a global company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines? Then you could be the new colleague we are looking for!

Working at AstraZeneca means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. We are now recruiting a highly skilled and passionate scientist with expertise in DMPK to join the team as a Preclinical (DMPK) Project Lead, preferably with experience across multiple modalities, to join the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) team of project leads within the Early Respiratory and Immunology (R&I) therapeutic area at AstraZeneca in Gothenburg, Sweden. 

At AstraZeneca Respiratory & Immunology, we're proud to have an outstanding workplace culture that encourages innovation and teamwork. We are united by our vision to push the boundaries of DMPK science to transform ideas into medicines for R&I patients. Employees are empowered to express diverse perspectives - and are made to feel valued, energized and rewarded for their ideas and creativity.

This position will be on-site in Gothenburg, Sweden and will not have the ability to be located remotely. The position can be filled at Senior Scientist, Associate Principal Scientist or Principal Scientist level, depending on background, experience and skills. 

What you’ll do?
In the role you would work collaboratively with discovery project representatives from other disciplines including medicinal chemistry, biology, safety and pharmaceutical sciences. You will influence drug design and optimization of ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity) properties. Hence, it is your responsibility to ensure delivery of all DMPK related activities, including in vitro ADME, biotransformation, bioanalysis, preclinical PK and PD underpinning human dose prediction to early drug projects from target selection to candidate drug selection. We believe that you have a solid understanding of DMPK and chemistry and that you will be able to provide expert advice and interpretation of complex drug discovery data. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities will include:
•    Responsible for leading all DMPK related activities, including coordinating and engaging with internal and external DMPK colleagues and collaborators, on project related activities. Deliver DMPK input and data to projects within agreed timelines and to the right quality to ensure that DMPK challenges are thoroughly assessed and resolved.
•    Contribute to the design of preclinical in vivo studies to answer crucial project questions.
•    Accountable, together with other functions such as Medicinal Chemistry, Bioscience and Safety, for compound design and effective cross-discipline optimization. Apply an understanding of DMPK and PKPD to support/influence project progression and strategy as well as providing the framework for human dose predictions.
•    Inform and influence the design of preclinical PK and PKPD studies to answer relevant pharmacological questions and contribute to estimation of safety margins
•    Report results and interpretations to project teams and communicate scientific progress to internal and external stakeholders.

Essential requirements for the role:
•    PhD in Medicinal, Organic or Physical Chemistry or biopharmaceutics/pharmacokinetics or equivalent experience in a relevant field, and at least 5 years’ experience of working in DMPK science.
•    Comprehensive understanding and proven experience of working within DMPK/ADME and excellent knowledge in ADME/Enzymology/Drug Transporters, and a solid understanding of pharmacodynamics (PD)
•    Wide understanding of correlations between physicochemical characteristics and their influence on DMPK properties and subsequent design of new compounds.
•    Have (at least) basic PK modelling skills, experience of human dose and PK prediction as well as understanding of disease biology and linking to PKPD understanding.
•    Experience from drug discovery, working in cross-functional project teams with compound/project progression.
•    A proactive and collaborative mindset and excellent communication skills.
•    Ability to engage and collaborate across boundaries with a problem-solving attitude and focus on delivery.
•    Strong communication skills and proven scientific leadership with the ability to mentor junior colleagues.

What’s next?
This is an exciting opportunity for a talented DMPK scientist to join a strong, dynamic team and support the portfolio of a major pharmaceutical company that has science at its heart whilst being based in the beautiful city of Gothenburg, Sweden. If you are ready to make a difference – apply today and together we will make it happen!

We welcome your application until 29 November, 2024. For more information about the position, please contact recruiting manager Nina Lawrence at Nina.Lawrence@astrazeneca.com

Where can I find out more?
Our Gothenburg site: https://www.astrazeneca.com/our-science/gothenburg.html
Life in Gothenburg: https://www.movetogothenburg.com/
Culture and atmosphere of the Gothenburg site: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6496327311678410752/
Relocate to Gothenburg: https://www.astrazeneca.se/om-oss/verksamheten-i-sverige/goteborg/relocate-to-gothenburg.html

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.