Based at Alderley Park, Medicines Discovery Catapult is a national Life Sciences service dedicated to turning drug discovery into commercial breakthroughs. We accelerate the development of science, and where there are areas of unmet patient need, we stimulate innovation.
By transforming drug discovery, we can improve patient lives, increase the impact of the UK Life Sciences sector, and create a healthier society and economy. Our interventions work. Since we started, we have helped over 300 companies raise over £1bn of R&D investment. We seek passionate individuals who are eager to collaborate, innovate, and make a tangible difference in the field of drug discovery.
Together, we can unlock new therapies, enhance patient outcomes, and ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of life sciences innovation. If you are ready to make an impact, we invite you to be part of our journey.
The values of the Catapult are:
* Excellence – we continually strive to deliver the best solutions for our partners and for each other. In everything we do, we instil confidence.
* Integrity – Our strong commitment to what we do and why we are here drives us to do the right thing for our partners and each other.
* Community – We’re a strong team, we work well together, and we respect each other.
* Innovation - We’re driven by the need to make a difference. We constantly look for ways to drive change in our sector and how we work.
Translational imaging is a key pillar in our science strategy, and we have established a suite of preclinical imaging technologies, including PET/CT imaging and ex vivo radioisotope counting, that we deploy in tandem with advanced radiochemistry to advance our collaborators’ drug development programmes. We are building our capability in the characterisation of imaging and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, an exciting new modality for oncology drug discovery, and this role is essential in the delivery of our growing radiopharmaceutical project portfolio.
We are now seeking an experienced radiochemist to help deliver our growing portfolio of partnered drug discovery projects. The individual will work closely with our pre-clinical imaging scientists and external partners to deliver translational imaging and therapy studies to the highest quality. They will be responsible for understanding the optimal radiochemistry method and delivering the radioligand required to meet the objectives of partnered pre-clinical studies. Adherence to regulatory requirements and internal policies is an essential element in this role.
Main duties and responsibilities
* Develop and apply radiochemistry protocols, using a range of radioisotopes, to enable biodistribution and efficacy studies for a range of therapeutic modalities, including radiopharmaceuticals, complex medicines and small molecules.
* Design and implement strategies and protocols to address project needs.
* Deliver high quality work in a complex and time pressured research environment.
* Implement new approaches and workflows to allow the further development of radiochemistry within the Catapult.
* Work in close partnership with experts in pre-clinical imaging and the wider project team to deliver end-to-end workflows for collaborative translational imaging projects.
* Ensure safe lab operations in radiochemistry, adhering to external regulations and internal policies and procedures.
* Accurately document and maintain radiochemistry records for EA and PHE audit.
* Apply effective communication and research collaboration skills, working with a wide range of internal colleagues, and with commercial and academic external partners.
Minimum Qualifications:
* A PhD in radiochemistry, or a degree in chemistry with equivalent, relevant radiochemistry experience.
* Knowledge and practical experience of radiochemistry, including direct and indirect labelling methods for biologics, small molecules and complex medicines and the use of gamma emitters such as 18F, 89Zr and 68Ga.
* Experience in metal chelation radiochemistry would be an advantage.
* Experience in deploying novel labelling strategies for research and translational projects.
* Experience of working with open bench radioactivity and use of hot cells.
* A track record of delivering high quality experimental work.
* Knowledge of Environmental Agency standards and experience of working to these and other safety standards.
* An understanding of recent advances in the growing areas of radio-diagnostics and radiotherapeutics; practical experience of radioisotopes such as 225Ac and 177Lu would be an advantage.
* An understanding of the practical application of radioligands in pre-clinical imaging studies, using PET imaging, SPECT imaging, ex-vivo radioisotope counting or other methods.
* Practical experience of delivering pre-clinical imaging studies would be an advantage.
* Experience of working in collaborative project teams, with both internal and external colleagues.
* Experience of working in a medicine discovery setting would be an advantage.
* Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously in a highly collaborative and inter-disciplinary environment.
Please note the closing date for applications may be brought forward if a high volume of applications are received.
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