Associate Scientist I, Formulation Development

Avidity Biosciences, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 99,750 - 110,250; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

401(k) match

Wellness program (medical, dental, VIs

Four weeks of time off

Education reimbursement

Job summary

Avidity Biosciences, Inc. in San Diego, CA, is seeking an Associate Scientist I to join the Analytical Development & Formulation group.

The role focuses on clinical and commercial formulation development of AOC drug products and drug substance, with duties spanning developability assessments and in-use compatibility studies for IV/SC routes. Ideal candidates have strong analytical/biophysical characterization experience (SEC, IEX, RP-HPLC, CE-SDS, cIEF) and a background in protein biologics

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree (or master’s) in chemistry, biology, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related field with a minimum of 5 years of industrial experience (3 years for a master’s degree).
• Experience in protein stability and degradation pathways particularly for mAb.
• Experience setting up formulation development and in-use compatibility studies.
• Hands-on with analytical methods including SEC, IEX, RP-HPLC, CE-SDS, cIEF and subvisible particle analysis.
• Biophysical methods for conformational and colloidal stability like DSC, DLS, and SLS.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced cross-functional environment.
• Excellent communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Set up and conduct formulation stability studies for mAb and AOC dosage forms.
• Perform developability assessments of early-stage protein biologics.
• Prepare buffers, manage lab inventory, and coordinate instrument maintenance with vendors.
• Conduct in-use compatibility studies for IV and SC administration routes.
• Support drug substance/product development activities as needed.
• Provide hands-on lab support to biology and chemistry teams with analytical characterization.
• Specify, purchase, and install formulation-related instrumentation and equipment.
• Maintain electronic lab notebooks and write technical reports.
• Present data at team and cross-functional meetings.
• Contribute to agile, integrated, and diverse company values.

Skills

Formulation development

Biophysical characterization

Stability testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Data processing

Documentation

Vendor coordination

Instrumentation setup

Presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in chemistry/biology or related field

Master's degree in related field

Tools

SEC

IEX

RP-HPLC

CE-SDS

cIEF

Subvisible particle analysis

Differential scanning calorimetry

Dynamic light scattering

Mass spectrometry

Lyophilization

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Associate Scientist I, Formulation Development

Full Time San Diego, CA, US

Salary Range: $99,750.00 To $110,250.00 Annually

Profoundly Improve People’s lives by Revolutionizing the Delivery of RNA Therapeutics

At Avidity Biosciences, we are passionate about the impact of every employee in realizing our vision of improving people’s lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics. Avidity is revolutionizing the field of RNA with its proprietary AOCs, which are designed to combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies to address targets and diseases previously unreachable with existing RNA therapies. If you are a committed, solution-oriented thinker, join us in making a difference and become part of our growing culture that is integrated, collaborative, agile and focused on the needs of patients.

Avidity Biosciences, Inc.'s mission is to profoundly improve people's lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics - Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs™). Utilizing its proprietary AOC platform, Avidity demonstrated the first-ever successful targeted delivery of RNA into muscle and is leading the field with clinical development programs for three rare muscle diseases: myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Avidity is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information about our AOC platform, clinical development pipeline, and people, please visit www.aviditybiosciences.com and engage with us on LinkedIn and X .

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly motivated individual eager to work in a fast-paced and collaborative environment as an Associate Scientist I within the Analytical and Formulation group of Avidity’s Technical Development and Operations (TD&O) department. This position will focus primarily on the clinical and commercial formulation development of AOC drug product and drug substance. Additional responsibilities may include but are not limited to supporting the developability assessments of early-stage mAb and AOC assets and performing in-use compatibility studies for intravenous and subcutaneous routes of administration. The successful candidate will have experience in analytical and biophysical characterization, formulation development, and stability testing of protein biologics, preferably for mAbs and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills are essential as this position will require close collaboration with cross-functional team members as well as periodic communication with external research organizations and vendors. This position will report to the Principal Scientist within the Analytics and Formulation group, which is laboratory-based at the Avidity site in San Diego, CA. Non-laboratory functions such as data processing and documentation, however, may be completed remotely.

What You Will Contribute

• Work with TD&O team members to set up and conduct formulation stability studies of mAb and AOC liquid and lyophilized dosage forms
• Perform developability assessments of numerous early-stage protein biologics using a variety of predictive analytical and biophysical methods
• Perform routine lab tasks including preparing buffers, managing the inventory of laboratory consumables and supplies, and working with vendors for maintenance and troubleshooting of analytical instruments
• Conduct in-use compatibility studies of AOC drug products intended forintravenous and subcutaneous routes of administration
• Support mAb and AOC drug substance/product process development activities when needed
• Be a hands‑on presence in the laboratory and support biology and chemistry departments with analytical and biophysical characterization as needed
• Specify, purchase, and manage the installation of formulation-related instrumentation and equipment
• Maintain good documentation in an electronic notebook and write technical reports as required
• Present data at regular team and cross functional team meetings
• Contributes to the company’s core values (agile, visionary, integrated and diverse)

What We Seek

• A bachelor’s degree (or master’s) in chemistry, biology, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related field with a minimum of 5 years of industrial experience (3 years for a master’s degree).
• An understanding of protein physicochemical stability, particularly for common routes of mAb degradation
• Experience in setting up and managing formulation development and in-use compatibility studies.
• Hands‑on experience with a variety of analytical methods including SEC, IEX, RP‑HPLC, CE‑SDS, cIEF and subvisible particle analysis
• Experience using a variety of biophysical methods for characterizing and measuring conformational and colloidal stability of protein biologics including differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic and static light scattering techniques
• Ability to multi‑task and work in a fast‑paced cross‑functional matrix environment
• Demonstrated excellent communication (oral and written), teamwork, organizational, interpersonal, and problem‑solving skills
• Direct experience in any of the areas listed below would be viewed favorably but are not a requirement for the position:
• Experience using design of experiment (DOE) approaches
• Familiarity with mass spectrometry (MS) methods used for assessing mAb chemical stability and assessing ADC drug to antibody ratios including intact, reduced, and peptide mapping LC/MS
• Prior experience in lyophilization formulation, cycle development, and analytical testing
• Experience in oligonucleotide chemistry and characterization methods
• Experience working with external CMOs and CROs

What We Will Provide To You:

• The base salary range for this role is $99,750-$110,250. The final compensation will be commensurate with such factors as relevant experience, skillset, internal equity and market factors.
• Avidity offers competitive compensation and benefits, which includes the opportunity for annual bonus as well as a 401(k) with an employer match. In addition, the comprehensive wellness program includes coverage for medical, dental, vision, and LTD, and four weeks of time off.
• A commitment to learning and development which includes a variety of programming internally developed by and for Avidity employees, opportunities for job-specific training offered by industry, and an education reimbursement program.
• Title: Associate Scientist I
• Position Type: Full Time / Exempt
• Department: Analytical Development & Formulation