ABOUT ABBVIE

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines 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, eye care, virology, women’s health, and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.

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PKPD MODELING INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW

Envision spending your summer working with energetic colleagues and inspirational leaders, all while gaining world-class experience in one of the most dynamic organizations in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a reality for AbbVie’s Experiential Interns.

The Quantitative Translational Pharmacology (QTP) group at AbbVie uses mathematical models to provide quantitative support for the development of new drug candidates at AbbVie. These models describe the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of the drug candidate and the QTP group uses these models in two ways: 1) at the end of the non-clinical phase - to provide projections for first-in-human dose levels, and 2) early in the development cycle - to assess what drug properties are required to effectively engage the intended biological target, a form of feasibility assessment. The QTP group is seeking two Interns to support PKPD mechanistic modeling - one with a solid tumor focus, and the other with a single cell focus.

PKPD Solid Tumor Modeling:

Drug distribution in cancer depends on fundamental transport properties. From small molecules to large biologics, key rates/parameters from measurements of pharmacokinetics, target expression/internalization, and other experiments can enable predictions of the expected uptake and spatial distribution of cancer therapies in solid tumors. The Intern will work closely with PKPD modelers to develop a dynamic application that theoretically calculates rates and constants that are important to solid tumor transport based on fundamental characteristics of the therapeutic.

PKPD Single Cell Mechanistic Modeling:

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) utilize the specificity of antibodies to deliver potent payloads to cancer cells. The Intern will work closely with other modelers to develop a Simbiology model that captures the single cell distribution of ADCs and payloads in vitro. The project will be supported by internal and external data and is expected to serve as a modular component to a larger in vivo model.

Key responsibilities for either project could include:

• Application development in RShiny and/or MATLAB

• Literature review of solid tumor drug disposition

• Comparison of simulation outcomes to internal and external data

• Development of a Mechanistic model of various ADCs targeting different antigens with varying payloads

• Literature review of current single cell mechanistic disposition models

• Validation of single cell mechanistic model and subsequent incorporation into in vivo model

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Currently enrolled in university, pursuing a Bachelor’s or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or other related field

• Must be enrolled in university during the internship period

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience coding (ideally familiar with MATLAB or R)

• Experience with transport phenomena

BENEFITS AND AMENITIES

• Competitive pay

• Travel, transportation and lodging support for eligible students

• Break rooms stocked with complimentary coffee, tea, beverages, snacks, and cold breakfast items

• Onsite café and fitness center

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity employer we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines 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, eye care, virology, women’s health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.