Job Description

Off-target activity related adverse event is a main contributor to drug attrition and drug withdrawal during clinical development and post-marketing. With emerging therapeutic modalities, such as Proteolysis Targeting Chimera (PROTAC) and RNA interference (RNAi), rigorous off-target screening remains an unmet need to advance these new molecules. The Molecular & Cellular Translational Safety group built a proteomics-based platform using human cell lines to address this issue. The graduate intern will help to continue building this platform using computational biology approaches and natural language processing methods developed by our group. The study scope includes the rational off-target selection from the entire human proteome using newest genetics and pharmacology evidences, as well as the algorithmic selection of the hosting cell lines (from ~1,100 human cells) using transcriptome data. The translatability of key organ toxicities will also be explored across species, using (pre)clinical evidences from various regulatory databases, which will guide the formation of organ-focused cell panels for our proteomics studies. Additionally, if time allows, we will help the graduate intern define additional impactful projects. For example, to assess the possible applications in toxicity using high throughput cell painting data, and potentially to build machine learning model(s).

Amgens 2021 summer internship program offers meaningful project experiences that impact patients lives. For the internship program, we are seeking graduate students who are ready to make a positive impact and use their talents to accomplish more than they thought possible. Through these innovative projects, the graduate intern will not only make a timely impact in drug safety but will also obtain a holistic view of the entire circle of drug development, especially on what we do to ensure that the drugs we develop are safe and that side effects are minimized or eliminated.

Basic Qualifications

Amgen requires that all individuals applying for a graduate internship or a graduate co-op assignment at Amgen must meet the following criteria:

* 18 years or older
* Currently enrolled in a full-time graduate program from an accredited college or university with a 3.0 minimum GPA or equivalent
* Completion of one year of study from an accredited college or university prior to the internship commencing
* Enrolled in a full-time graduate degree program following the potential internship or co-op assignment with an accredited college or university
* Must not be employed at the time the internship start

Preferred Qualifications

* Pursuing a PhD in Computational Biology or other relevant field
* In at least fourth year of PhD program by Fall 2021
* Strong bioinformatics and cheminformatics background
* Proficient programming in scripting languages including R and Python and/or programming languages (Java, C, C++)
* Experiences with large data set
* Structural biology and modeling a plus, but not required.
* Ability to thrive in a high-performance culture
* Excellent oral/written communication skills and interpersonal skills
* Excellent time management, decision-making and organizational skills
* Ability to apply research findings, capture information, interpret and analyze results, develop and implement a logical and strategic plan of action