Research Associate in Chemical Biology and Biocatalysis

‘A versatile biocatalytic platform for scalable therapeutic oligonucleotide manufacturing’

A position is available for a Research Associate with experience in directed evolution, biocatalysis, biochemistry or a related discipline. The aim of the research is to develop and optimize a biocatalytic approach to therapeutic oligonucleotide synthesis. This position is based in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) under the supervision of Dr Sarah Lovelock but candidates will work closely with industrial partners, AstraZeneca, Novartis, CPI, Novo Nordisk and BioMarin.

Therapeutic oligonucleotides selectively bind to target mRNA to modulate the production of disease related proteins and have emerged as a potential new drug modality for the treatment of a whole range of disease areas. However, current methods of chemical synthesis are not scalable and are limited to <10Kg batches. To synthesize high volume products required for the treatment of common diseases, more scalable and sustainable methods are required. The Lovelock group are interested in the development of scalable biocatalytic strategies to produce oligonucleotides. This research involves process optimization, scale up and optimization of biocatalyst properties using directed evolution to make them suitable for pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

This is a highly interdisciplinary project at the cutting edge of enzyme engineering and nucleic acid therapeutics research and the successful applicants will have full access to state-of-the-art facilities for reaction scale-up and high-throughput automated enzyme engineering, including liquid handling robots, colony pickers and a suite of high throughput analytical facilities. The successful candidates will have the opportunity to apply and further develop their expertise in both fundamental and translational science, which are highly relevant to a future career in the pharmaceutical and wider chemical industry.

Applicants should have, or are expect to attain a PhD or equivalent, in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry or Biocatalysis, and have a thesis submitted prior to taking up the position. We seek applications from experienced researchers with a proven track record in the optimization of biocatalytic processes. You should be capable of working under your own initiative but also collaborating with industrial and academic research partners, so excellent communication and organisational skills are required.

What you will get in return: