Senior Scientist I/II, Peptide Formulations and Drug Delivery

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Organization Description The Molecular Profiling and Drug Delivery (MPDD) group within AbbVie R&D’s Development Sciences organization, is accountable for a broad range of deliverables across various stages of drug discovery and development. During lead optimization and through candidate selection, MPDD scientists utilize state-of-the-art automation and computational tools supported by expertise in biopharmaceutics, drug delivery, and solid-state chemistry to collaboratively progress candidates with higher probability of success into development and advise clinical formulation strategy. From candidate selection through clinical proof of concept and product launch, MPDD scientists work in cross functional teams to identify the commercial dosing form of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and establish structure-property-performance correlations to help deliver robust commercial processes and align control strategies across drug substance and product. They also transition drug substance isolation processes and relevant physical characterization methods to commercial manufacturing sites and work within teams to ensure successful regulatory submissions.

Drug Delivery scientists within AbbVie's MPDD organization collaborate with other functions within Development Sciences and Discovery to conduct developability assessments and select formulations with higher probability of success for clinical development and eventual commercialization. This includes profiling of physicochemical properties, development of preclinical formulations, identifying solutions to in vivo delivery challenges, and advancement of novel drug delivery strategies across multiple routes of administration that are aligned with program target product profiles and downstream partners. In this role, you will work in cross-functional teams in matrixed environments and engage in multidisciplinary problem solving.

Job Description

AbbVie is seeking a highly motivated, talented and creative scientist with expertise and some experience in pharmaceutical sciences and drug delivery for a Senior Scientist I/II position in Lake County, IL. The primary role of this position is to serve as an MPDD project leader on discovery programs, providing preclinical formulation support for initial safety and efficacy assessments. The candidate will work collaboratively with discovery and development partners across disciplines to improve delivery of drug candidates and advance formulations to clinical development with improved developability profiles. The desired candidate will have a strong background in drug delivery and hands-on experience in physicochemical characterization for the preclinical development of peptides, small molecules, and biologics candidates. The ideal candidate will have experience with a range of formulation techniques for various modalities. Familiarity with identifying strategies to overcome in vivo drug delivery barriers, and proficiency with dosage forms including nanoparticles, amorphous systems and lipids is expected. Experience with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and siRNA conjugates is a plus.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Design and develop innovative formulation and delivery strategies for peptide drugs to overcome in vivo tissue barriers and enhance therapeutic efficacy.
• Develop and optimize scalable processes for robust manufacturing of peptide drug formulations. ·
• Conduct physicochemical characterization of peptide drug formulations using advanced techniques to assess stability, solubility, and other critical properties.
• Interpret and communicate results from characterization and formulation studies to advise the selection of peptide drug candidates with properties suitable for development.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and scientific advancements in peptide drug delivery. ·
• Author publications and present at scientific conferences.

Basic:

• BS (12+ yrs. experience), MS (10+ yrs. experience) or PhD (4+ yrs experience) in Pharmaceutical or related industry. Preferred educational backgrounds include but are not restricted to Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Chemical/Biomedical Engineering, and Materials Science.
•  Ph.D. candidates with pertinent research exposure are also encouraged to apply.
• Job level will be commensurate with academic and/or industrial work experience.

Preferred:

• Fundamental knowledge of the physiological barriers to drug delivery and absorption, including various transport mechanisms.
• Working knowledge of drug formulation approaches and routes of administration (i.e. IV, SC, IP, PO). 
• Familiarity with the role of physicochemical properties in drug delivery and formulation design.
• Experience with analytical and physicochemical characterization of pharmaceutical dosage forms. Techniques of interest include, but are not limited to: HPLC, UPLC, MS, DLS, DSC, FTIR, TGA, DVS, PXRD, dissolution, and microscopy, etc.
• Knowledge of preclinical and clinical formulation development principles relevant to peptide drugs. · Excellent self-management and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a cross functional team setting.

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law: ​​

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• The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.​​

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.​​

• This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs. ​​

• This job is eligible to participate in our long-term incentive programs

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Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law. 

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community.  Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. 

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