Postdoctoral Researcher in the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) Section

Idorsia Pharmaceuticals

Basel, Switzerland

Job Responsibilities

• Establish and evaluate New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) such as advanced in vitro hepatic systems to improve the prediction of human clearance, with a particular focus on low-turnover compounds;
• Compare intrinsic clearance data generated in conventional systems, such as human liver microsomes and cryopreserved hepatocytes, with data from more complex liver-cell models such as HepaRG, HepatoPac, TruVivo or related systems;
• Develop and apply robust LC-MS/MS bioanalytical methods to quantify parent compound depletion and, where appropriate, metabolite formation in those assays;
• Investigate the impact of nonspecific binding, compound stability, incubation recovery and free concentration on the interpretation of clearance data and support in vitro–in vivo extrapolation in collaboration with DMPK modelers;
• Assess the suitability of advanced hepatic systems for drug-metabolizing enzyme phenotyping in comparison with human liver microsomes, integrating metabolite identification where appropriate;
• Document, analyze and present experimental results in multidisciplinary project teams, and contribute to scientific reports, internal presentations, conference communications and peer-reviewed publications.

Candidate’s Requirements

• PhD in pharmaceutical sciences, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pharmacology or a related discipline, with solid scientific training and a strong interest in applying experimental and analytical skills to DMPK questions;
• Hands-on experience with cell culture and LC-MS/MS bioanalysis is required; experience with high-resolution MS and/or metabolite identification is an advantage;
• Experience with in vitro ADME/DMPK assays, such as microsomal or hepatocyte stability, protein binding, drug-metabolizing enzyme phenotyping, is desirable;
• Good understanding of drug metabolism, hepatic clearance mechanisms, enzyme phenotyping and in vitro–in vivo extrapolation, or strong motivation to develop expertise in these areas;
• Proactive, collaborative and reliable personality with strong analytical thinking, excellent organizational and communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment;
• Excellent knowledge of English.