Biological Sciences (Multiple Roles) Industrial Placements Stevenage 2023

Please read below about the 16 different positions we are recruiting for across our various biological sciences Industrial Placements. Please note, these are distinct placements and so when you apply you will be able to select 5 preferences of where you would like to be placed if successful. We will accommodate your preference where possible.

• Role 1 - Novel Human Genetics
• Role 2 - Oncology Cell therapy
• Role 3 - No longer available
• Role 4 - PreClinical Invivo Imaging Scientist
• Role 5 - Cell & Gene Therapy
• Role 6 - Protein and Cellular Sciences
• Role 7 - Genome Biology and Omics technologies roles
• Role 8 - Immunology Research Unit
• Role 9 - Immunological Toxicology
• Role 10 - New Chemical Entity (NCE) Molecular Discovery
• Role 11 - Genetic Toxicology & Photosafety
• Role 12 - Protein Degradation
• Role 13 - Biopharm Discovery
• Role 14 - Biopharm Product Development
• Role 15 - Cell Biologist – Complex invitro models
• Role 16 - Biochemist (Biocatalysis)

Role 1. Novel Human Genetics

The Novel Human Genetics Research Unit is based at the Stevenage research and development hub and is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of passionate scientists who are striving to develop novel medications for the health challenges facing the world of today and the future. We utilise expansive genetic data sets to direct our efforts, with the knowledge that having genetically validated drug targets increase the chance of success in the clinic and ultimately in delivering medicines to the patients that need them. The unit is responsible for progressing drug discovery programmes from target identification all the way through to Phase I clinical trials; incorporating target validation, lead discovery, lead optimisation, pharmacokinetics and biomarker strategy.

As an Industrial Placement student within the research unit you will be:

• Fully integrated into the field of drug discovery, with exposure to areas and departments throughout the company.
• Working within state-of-the-art labs at Stevenage, conducting experiments and contributing to our key programmes under the supervision of dedicated and experienced scientific leaders.
• Comprehensively trained in a range of lab techniques (such as cell culture, CRISPR, molecular biology techniques, pharmacology studies and protein analysis) in addition to scientific writing and communication skills.
• Playing an integral role within the department, developing networks and learning about the pharmaceutical industry along the way.

Role 2. Oncology Cell Therapy

Adoptive cell therapy aims to treat cancer patients with modified immune cells that infiltrate tumour tissue and specifically kill the tumour cells. The Oncology Cell Therapy (OCT) Research Unit is responsible for cell therapy programmes at an early stage of drug discovery, evaluating new tumour cell targets and generating novel approaches to enhance efficacy in patients. Our unit comprises scientists from a range of scientific backgrounds and experience, and we have successfully hosted many students. You will become an active member of the Unit and your work will directly support ongoing programmes.

We welcome highly motivated and enthusiastic students, preferably with an interest in oncology and/or immunology. Throughout the placements a deeper understanding of immunology, T cell function and tumour biology will be gained, making the positions of interest for those with future career aspirations in an Oncology field. You will have an aptitude for practical work, be able to work accurately and methodically, possess good communication skills and display a keen interest in expanding your skills. Experience likely to be gained include primary and engineered cell culture; flow cytometry, molecular biology and cell imaging; cell viability and cytokine assays, with full training & support provided. You will also develop your broader scientific research and professional skills within this environment, e.g. experimental design, accurate experimental record keeping, data analysis, reporting and presentation skills.

Role 3. No longer available.

Role 4. PreClinical Invivo Imaging Scientist

We have a unique opportunity for an Industrial Placement Student to take up a one-year placement as an in vivo Imaging Scientist. This bespoke role will be within the in vivo Bioimaging group based in Stevenage and offers a large variety of opportunities to gain an insight into multiple therapeutic areas that align with the company strategy, as well as supporting key functions within the research and development (R&D) process. The in vivo Bioimaging department uses several non-invasive imaging modalities (such as magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], computerised tomography [CT] and in vivo fluorescence and bioluminescence), all of which play an important role in the different aspects of the discovery and development process, such as lead identification, optimisation and the understanding of safety of our molecules.

Core tasks involved in this role include liaising with scientists across R&D groups, organising all aspects of imaging studies from performing routine imaging to processing, interpreting, and presenting data to project teams. In addition, there may be opportunity to gain practical experience of animal procedures during the placement. Further opportunities may also exist to gain experience in other functional areas within the wider Bioimaging department, that may include other groups within Bioimaging.

Role 5. Cell & Gene Therapy

The Product Development & Supply team is responsible for the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) in Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) at GSK, developing and manufacturing cutting edge, personalised medicines through gene modification of patient cells. Product development & Supply team delivers projects from early phase to launch, and the development of innovative technologies to enable step-change improvements to cell and gene therapy manufacture.

You will be involved in the development of CGT platform technologies and participate in activities related to the understanding and improvement of the medicines that we produce. You will be responsible for developing and applying high quality science, alongside recording and communicating experimental results. You will also be expected to actively contribute to team culture and the day to day running of the laboratory and projects.

Brief description of projects:

The focus will be on the development of technologies for ex vivo oncology gene therapy. Potential projects are spread across the different stages of producing CGT medicines:

• Process research to understand the process biology
• Manufacture of viral vectors for gene delivery
• Formulation development
• Analytical development to ensure product quality

Role 6. Protein and Cellular Sciences

Protein and Cellular Sciences (PCS) is an early-stage drug discovery department within GSK, which uses advanced technologies to generate and validate protein and cell-based reagents in support of both small molecule and biopharmaceutical programs. Vectors are designed and produced using a range of molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques (gene cloning, DNA sequencing, PCR), and expression carried out using bacterial and mammalian cell culture systems (e.coli, HEK transient, CHO stable). Proteins are purified using appropriate chromatographic techniques in conjunction with programmable purification platforms (affinity, ion-exchange, size exclusion chromatography), and characterised using state-of-the-art analytical tools (mass spectroscopy, electrophoresis, reversed phase chromatography).

We are seeking to recruit undergraduate students with both an enthusiasm for protein biochemistry and cell biology, and an aptitude for practical work. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to participate in a diverse variety of innovative research projects ongoing within the group, and to acquire extensive practical experience of many laboratory techniques commonly in use throughout the biochemical and pharmaceutical industry. The placement will also provide a valuable opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the drug discovery process within an industrial environment.

Role 7. Genome Biology and Omics technologies roles

We are seeking motivated students to join the Genome Biology and Omics Technology groups at GSK in Stevenage. The roles comprise of several disciplines that provide the deep scientific knowledge and technical capabilities required to discover and validate potential novel therapeutic targets through the application of extensive genetic analyses, high throughput genome editing and endophenotyping in well-characterized human cellular models. Our group consists of multiple groups.

Their focus includes:

Key area 1 – Translational In-Vitro Models: The application of advanced cellular models to support programme efforts. Daily tasks can include: The maintenance and use of physiological and disease relevant human cell culture systems to support cell-based screening assays; Use of biochemical assays, immunoassays, flow cytometry, image cytometry, lab automation and high content image analysis; Genome editing procedures in any of these cellular systems and applying these to support ongoing target discovery and validation efforts.

Key area 2 – Gene Editing and Genomics: The application of gene editing, genomics and transcriptomics to support programme efforts. Daily tasks can include:

• Cell culture including immortalised cell lines or primary immune cells
• Cloning/construct generation, lentiviral vector production
• CRISPR genome editing, transfections, PCR, sequencing, flow cytometry, western blotting
• Preparing samples to be assayed with broad range of genomics methods (e.g. RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, Single Cell transcriptomics)
• Design and implementation of genomics and transcriptomics experiments
• Development of novel genomics assays and NGS data analysis.

Role 8. Immunology Research Unit

Within the Immunology research unit, aim to deliver a world-leading research pipeline of future medicines that will restore immune homeostasis by creating an innovative portfolio of impactful medicines, developing a thriving community of outstanding diverse scientists, leveraging deep immunology expertise and making evidence-based decisions at pace.

We offer an outstanding training program where you will experience a range of laboratory techniques that are applicable to modern drug discovery such as primary human and mouse cell isolation, cytokine & immune cell profiling through flow cytometry, ELISA and MSD, transcriptomic analysis by qPCR, gene editing via CRISPR and many others. By the end of the placement, you will have gained sufficient experience to be autonomous in designing and conducting experiments, documenting and reporting your scientific findings and understanding how a large multidisciplinary team interacts. You will be able to drive the direction of your project, conduct literature reviews and determine how your results fit in with the ‘big picture’.

Our Research Unit consists of multiple large groups currently hiring for a total of 10 IP positions.

Their main focus includes:

• T Cell Immunology: Harnessing Regulatory Cell Biology via T cell and antigen presenting cell approaches
• Barrier Restitution and Immunity: Restoration of barrier function including mechanisms such as autophagy
• Immune Cell Communication: Modulating myeloid cytokine: cell interactions to restore tissue homeostasis and alleviate pain
• B Cell Immunology: Targeted resetting of immune cell dysfunction and transcription, with a focus on B cells
• Experimental Quantitative Pharmacology: Mechanistic in vivo immunology expertise and generation of translational models to inform clinical dose

Role 9. Immunological Toxicology

Increasingly, new medicines for a diverse range of diseases are designed to act by modulating the immune system, bringing significant benefits to patients. GSK has made a specific commitment to developing novel medicines with immune-mediated mechanisms-of-action, such as T cell therapies where T cells are genetically engineered to express receptors specific for tumour antigens, to treat cancer, infectious diseases, and diseases with inflammatory and/or autoimmune components. Alongside the exciting opportunities that immune-mediated therapies present, there is an important need to identify and understand any potential undesirable effects of our drug candidates on the immune system, in order to maximise the opportunities for therapeutic immuno-modulation while protecting patients from immune-related drug toxicities.

GSK’s Immunological Toxicology team are a group of immunologists who support drug development across the business by providing vital immune safety data to enable the selection and development of medicines with favourable immune-related benefit-risk profiles. We are looking for a hard-working, ambitious and intellectually curious IP student to join us.

The successful candidate will gain insights into experimental non-clinical safety assessment relating to immunological toxicology, as well as broader experience of working in the pharmaceutical industry. You will learn in vitro techniques such as multi-colour flow cytometry, ELISA/MSD, cell culture and associated analysis techniques. There will be many opportunities to build transferable skills such as by giving presentations. If you are interested in immunology, safety assessment and drug discovery/development then we look forward to hearing from you!

Role 10. New Chemical Entity (NCE) Molecular Discovery

The NCE Molecular Discovery department drives the discovery of novel small molecule drug candidates. The department comprises biochemists, cell biologists, chemical biologists and data scientists who develop and apply an array of in vitro technologies. Our research determines the impact of novel compounds on protein targets and in biological disease models, to enable their development towards producing new medicines. We are seeking enthusiastic individuals with passion and flair for practical work to support our current efforts in drug discovery.

During your placement we can offer exposure to a range of research techniques including advanced robotics technology; automated electrophysiology; high content imaging; mass spectrometry; in vitro pharmacology & enzymology, with an aim to deliver key biological assay data. Successful applicants will be supported within multi-disciplinary teams where they will contribute directly to active drug discovery projects.

Role 11. Genetic Toxicology & Photosafety

There is overwhelming evidence that inherited mutational changes in humans are responsible for genetically determined diseases and congenital (heritable) malformations. Also, the accumulation of somatic cell mutations is known to be implicated in cancer, and to some extent in other multi-factorial diseases. As novel drugs may represent a potential source of damage to DNA, appropriate testing is required to minimise the risk of genotoxicity for both ethical and legislative reasons. The discipline of genetic toxicology as applied to drug development exists to achieve this aim.

Students undertaking a placement in genetic toxicology will perform investigative studies associated with the work of the dept, in the form of a research project. This will consist of literature reviews and establishment of expertise in one or more of the following technologies: flow cytometry, bacterial and mammalian cell/tissue culture, microscopy and image analysis. Following appropriate training, students will be expected to conduct independent research, collate/analyse experimental data, write summaries/reports and a dissertation at the end of year. They will also be expected to present the results of their work at the annual students review and external meetings, if appropriate.

In addition, working alongside highly experienced genetic toxicologists, students will develop knowledge of the drug development process, the role of safety assessment and genetic toxicology; be involved in general laboratory management duties throughout the year to gain valuable experience in the daily workings of an industrial genetic toxicology lab to directly support the screening of potential new medicines; develop scientific, IT and other core skills.

Role 12. Protein Degradation

Within the Protein Degradation Group, we support the ongoing drug discovery efforts by exploring targeted protein degradation techniques. PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have attracted great attention as an alternative to the more common small molecule approach to treat diseases. PROTACs are bifunctional molecules which simultaneously bind a target protein and an E3 ubiquitin ligase. The resultant ternary complex allows efficient ubiquitin transfer from the ligase complex to the target protein which is subsequently recognised by the proteasome and rapidly degraded. By degrading target proteins instead of inhibiting them, there is a potential of introducing new pharmacology for drug discovery programmes (i.e. duration of action, non-kinase functions), tackle proteins with no enzymatic activity as well as providing increased sensitivity to drug-resistant targets. The project will support efforts around PROTAC compound pharmacology across a variety of cell and tissue systems relevant to immuno-oncology or oncology indications.

What will you do?

• Support current studies within the Protein Degradation Group by conducting laboratory experiments and generating data to help determine project direction.
• In addition, you will be encouraged to review the relevant literature associated with the project and keep up to date with new findings in order to introduce new ideas/concepts to the project team.
• We will train you with the right skills to enable independent working in a wide range of laboratory techniques and improve your ability to plan, design and execute experiments.
• You will be gaining experience in maintaining accurate records of data according to GSK guidelines and will be expected to present and discuss data during team meetings and to a wider audience. Students that have an interest in bioinformatics are also encouraged to apply.

Role 13. Biopharm Discovery

At GSK we believe that Biopharm medicines are key to achieving our ambitions in immuno-oncology and immunologically driven diseases. We are growing our UK-based Biopharm team focused on Medicines Discovery, using cutting edge technologies to bring medicines of the future faster to patients.

GSK has a thriving team of Biopharmaceutical scientists across discovery, development and manufacturing and we are building a state-of-the-art end to end Biopharm capability which delivers efficient discovery of antibody molecules that are selected and engineered for rapid development. Together with our therapy area partners, GSK Biopharm are discovering, developing, and manufacturing novel medicines to benefit patients around the globe.

Within the Discovery department there are several vacancies for industrial placement students. These vacancies are ideally suited to undergraduate science students keen on exploring and developing a lab-based scientific career in an exciting and fast-paced environment using cutting edge science. You should be an enthusiastic team player, communicative, self-motivated and have some experience in laboratory science. Ideal applicants will have some prior understanding and a desire to develop their careers and skills further in at least one of the following specialities: Molecular Biology; Cell Biology; Immunology or Protein Biochemistry.

Role 14. Biopharm Product Development

Biopharm Process Research (BPR) is dedicated to de-risking and accelerating GSKs portfolio of biopharmaceuticals from Discovery Research into Clinical Manufacture. By applying state of the art bioprocessing technology, BPR screens candidate molecules for ‘manufacturability’ and quality prior to transfer to late-stage development & clinical manufacturing.

As part of our continuous improvement of our manufacturing platform, the successful students will be deployed across the department to evaluate and embed new technologies or data solutions to improve our ways of working and our scientific output. During the placement, the student will be responsible for organising, performing and reporting project work experiments.

The successful candidate will be required to generate high quality results within agreed timelines and be able to participate in the evaluation and interpretation of experimental data. The ability to work flexibly and collaboratively in a team environment is required and is ideally suited to a person who is keen to gain experience in a multi-disciplinary department delivering next generation medicines to patients. The scope of our projects covers a broad range of technology areas and allows for regular interaction with other groups within GSK R&D at Stevenage and in Upper Merion, USA.

Role 15. Cell Biologist – Complex invitro models

We are seeking a highly productive and motivated Industrial Placement student to join our Complex In Vitro Models (CIVM) team within the In Vitro In Vivo Translation (IVIVT) department at GSK Stevenage. Our mission is to improve clinical translation using state-of-the-art technology, particularly patient derived organoids, microfluidic systems, and 3D bioprinting. One of the most promising of these is the human gut-on-chip system which the student will set-up during their placement.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) remains a significant burden for patients in terms of morbidity and mortality. Although various 2D in vitro models as well as extensive animal models are available for investigating IBD, these may not fully recapitulate the complexity of the human disease. As a result, the objectives of this project will be to establish, characterise and validate healthy and diseased gut-on-chip models using patient-derived organoids. Patient-derived organoids from normal tissue and from patients with IBD will be utilised and the specific criteria for each donor line will be established for the successful embedding onto tissue-on-chip systems.

Through the placement the successful candidate will gain experience of 3D organoid culture and manipulation, establishment and maintenance of tissue-on-chip systems, as well as downstream analysis techniques including fluorescent imaging, gene expression profiling and quantification of secreted proteins.

Role 16. Biochemist (Biocatalysis)

The Synthetic Biochemistry group discovers, develops and delivers engineered enzyme biocatalysts supporting several business areas within R&D and Global Supply Chain (manufacturing). Using biocatalysts in the synthesis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) can offer a number of advantages over traditional synthetic processes with increased selectivity and mild operating conditions leading to reduced environmental impact and more efficient routes. The group employs a range of state-of-the-art biochemistry, molecular biology and analytical techniques to identify and engineer enzymes for this purpose.

A successful candidate will work with a range of these techniques and will have the opportunity to contribute to enzyme panel builds, using molecular biology techniques to clone and engineer enzyme candidates, develop and optimise expression of recombinant enzymes on a variety of scales, and develop assays to assess the activity of enzymes using UPLC/GC/LCMS and other techniques. Many of these tasks will involve the use of automated liquid handling to facilitate high-throughput experimentation. Large volumes of multi-dimensional data are generated requiring the use of data analytic tools to interpret.

What do we offer you?

• A salary of £21,000, plus a bonus
• Access to GSK resources, including employee assistance programmes, private healthcare and well-being programs and pension plan membership
• On-the-job experience and informal training and development, delivered through a mixture of coaching, mentoring, and training programs
• A GSK placement which gives you the opportunity to take on a real role with genuine impact
• You will join a GSK Industrial Placement community of over 250 students across the UK and business areas
• Access to LinkedIn groups to enable the new Industrial Placement community to network and connect before start date
• For R&D placements you will also be enrolled in several GSK internal courses as part of company policy such as data integrity, use of internal electronic lab book, laboratory safety rules
• Within R&D you will have the opportunity to attend seminars by GSK scientists, which run throughout the year and comprise of a wide range of areas within drug discovery