Research Associate

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals Inc. • Vancouver, BC

7d • CA$65,000 - CA$90,000

About The Position

Eupraxia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing locally delivered, extended-release products that have the potential to address therapeutic areas with high unmet medical need. DiffuSphere™, a proprietary, polymer-based micro-sphere technology, is designed to facilitate targeted drug delivery of both existing and novel drugs. The technology is designed to support an extended duration of effect and delivery of drugs in a hyper-localized fashion, targeting only the tissues that physicians want to treat. The precision of Eupraxia's DiffuSphere™ technology platform has the potential to augment and transform existing FDA-approved drugs to improve their safety, tolerability, efficacy and duration of effect. The potential uses in therapeutic areas extend beyond pain and inflammatory gastrointestinal disease, where Eupraxia is currently developing advanced treatments, to applications in oncology, infectious disease and other critical disease areas. Eupraxia's EP-104GI is currently in a Phase 1b/2 trial (RESOLVE) for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). EP-104GI is administered as an injection into the esophageal wall, providing local delivery of drug. This is a unique treatment approach for EoE. Eupraxia also recently completed a Phase 2b clinical trial (SPRINGBOARD) of EP-104IAR for the treatment of pain due to knee osteoarthritis. The SPRINGBOARD trial successfully met its primary endpoint and three of the four secondary endpoints. In addition, Eupraxia is developing a pipeline of later and earlier-stage long-acting formulations. Potential pipeline indications include candidates for other inflammatory joint indications and oncology, each designed to improve on the activity and tolerability of currently approved drugs. We are looking for people who would like to work for a fast-paced, growing company that fosters a creative spirit and integrated teamwork and who are eligible to work in Canada.

Requirements

• An MSc (or a BSc with 2-3 years of relevant experience) in a scientific field such as chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related discipline.
• Experience in designing and conducting experiments related to material synthesis and characterization.
• Knowledge of a broad range of analytical and characterisation techniques such as NMR, mass spectrometry, HPLC, GPC, particle size analysis and microscopy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with the science team.
• A life-long learner mindset and a critical thinker, committed to continuous growth and problem solving.
• Eligible to work in Canada.

Nice To Haves

• Strong foundation in polymer chemistry and molecule crystallisation, gained through academic and/or industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, prepare, and evaluate extended-release drug formulations in support of pipeline candidates.
• Execute formulation screening and optimization studies with appropriate controls and documentation.
• Assist in the development and transfer of manufacturing processes from bench to pilot scale.
• Perform in vitro dissolution experiments and characterize particles by microscopy and particle size analysis.
• Conduct analytical sample analysis using HPLC, UV-Vis, and other relevant techniques.
• Maintain laboratory equipment and troubleshoot instrument issues.
• Plan and execute experiments independently under the guidance of research scientists.
• Accurately record experimental data in laboratory notebooks or electronic systems (ELN).
• Analyze, interpret, and summarize results for internal reports and team meetings.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level