Scientist II, Immunopharmacology - Peptide Discovery

AbbVie•Worcester, MA

12h•Onsite

About The Position

AbbVie is seeking a highly skilled Scientist II to join the Immuno-Pharmacology and Peptide Discovery team within our Immunology Discovery organization. This laboratory-based position supports both IND-enabling and early-stage discovery programs in immunology, offering hands-on experience with in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimentation. The role independently investigates, develops, and optimizes immunological assays and rodent models to evaluate peptide therapeutics, while contributing to both platform and program-level research efforts. The scientist actively enhances existing workflows, adapts methodologies from literature, and applies scientific rigor in experimental design and data interpretation. The successful candidate will play a key role in integrating experimental pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data—including plasma and tissue exposure, as well as receptor occupancy (RO)—to advance translational understanding and optimize dosing for orally delivered peptide therapeutics. Responsibilities include supporting experimental designs that inform quantitative site-of-action models and elucidate dose–exposure–response relationships across tissues and immune compartments. The position involves harvesting and processing relevant tissues (such as spleen, lymph nodes, GI tissues, and skin), executing cellular and molecular assays, and collaborating across functions to inform biodistribution, RO, and translational model refinement. This role is critical in generating data to support cross-functional, data-driven dosing decisions and in building the PK/PD relationship for peptide therapeutics at AbbVie.

Requirements

BS, MS, or equivalent education with typically 7+ (BS) or 5+ (MS) years of relevant industry experience, preferably in biology or a related biological science.
Proven ability to independently design, execute, and interpret critical experiments addressing complex scientific questions in immunology, pharmacology, or related disciplines.
Demonstrated hands-on expertise in some of these immunological techniques ELISA, MSD, ELISPOT, flow cytometry, whole blood assays, qPCR/ddPCR, RNA extraction and analysis is preferred, and experience with in vivo rodent procedures (dosing, tissue harvesting, adoptive transfer) in rats and/or mice is required.
Familiarity with concepts of pharmacokinetics (plasma and tissue exposure), receptor occupancy, and dose-exposure-response relationships; demonstrated ability to collect, interpret, and communicate data relevant to these areas.
Demonstrated ability to rapidly learn, master, and implement new experimental techniques and methodologies to advance scientific objectives.
Strong organizational skills, including the ability to multitask effectively and consistently deliver high-quality results within established project timelines.
Excellent scientific writing skills for clear documentation of research findings; strong verbal communication skills for effective presentations and cross-functional collaboration.
Proven ability to work collaboratively across teams, integrating experimental insights with cross-functional groups (e.g., DMPK, pharmacology, clinical sciences) to drive informed, data-driven decisions.

Responsibilities

Experimental Design & Execution: Design, execute, and interpret immunological and pharmacological experiments to support IND-enabling and discovery-stage projects across peptide therapeutic programs, collaborating closely with team members.
Biodistribution/RO & Dose Response Data Generation: Collect and analyze plasma and tissue drug exposure and receptor occupancy (RO) data to support dose-exposure-response predictions and inform oral dosing strategies for peptide candidates.
In Vivo Immunology: Work side by side with vivarium personnel to perform adoptive transfer, rodent dosing (mice and rats), issue harvesting and processing for downstream cellular and molecular analysis of immune responses and target engagement in autoimmune models.
Immunological Assays: Execute a variety of immunological assays (e.g., flow cytometry, ELISPOT, co-cultures, cytokine profiling, whole blood assays) to characterize immune responses and evaluate the efficacy of peptide therapeutic candidates.
Molecular Techniques: Conduct RNA isolation, qPCR/digital PCR, and related methods to assess gene expression, cytokine responses, and biomarker modulation.
Tissue-Based Insights: Process lymphoid and barrier tissues (e.g., GI tract, skin, lymph nodes, spleen) for immune profiling and support receptor occupancy and BioD assessments at relevant disease sites.
Model-Enabled Experimentation: Contribute experimental data to support BioD- and PK/PD-driven modeling efforts, including immune cell targeting, dose saturation effects, and target engagement across tissues.
Translational Strategy Support: Help refine experimental designs to address translational knowledge gaps and provide data to support clinical prediction models and regulatory packages.
Technical Mastery: Demonstrate mastery of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo immunology techniques, applying these methods to peptide-focused studies to generate robust, reproducible data.
Data Analysis (PK/PD): Interpret pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data – including plasma and tissue exposure levels and receptor occupancy – to guide program decisions and optimize peptide therapeutic candidates.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate cross-functionally with multidisciplinary teams (e.g., DMPK, pharmacology, chemistry) to integrate experimental findings into broader program objectives and ensure alignment with overall peptide therapeutic development goals.