Summer Intern, CMC Process Development

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals•Verona, WI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARWR) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing. Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates. Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI & San Diego, CA, and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Verona, WI. Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need. The Position Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is seeking a highly motivated CMC Process Development Intern to support small molecule and antibody–oligonucleotide conjugate process development for new chemical entities transitioning from Discovery into development. This internship offers hands-on experience in phase-appropriate process development, scalable manufacturing, and the advancement of innovative manufacturing approaches to support Arrowhead’s clinical pipeline. The intern’s work will directly contribute to project teams focused on ensuring timely entry of candidates into the clinic, successful clinical advancement, and the development of robust, scalable manufacturing processes. This is an 11-week Summer Internship Program paying $21.00 per hour and requires full-time, onsite work five days per week at the designated location.

Requirements

Currently enrolled at an accredited university or college, majoring in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related scientific discipline, with an interest in organic synthesis.
Ability to work in a laboratory environment for extended periods of time
Ability to work independently after appropriate training
Strong interest in learning new chemistry concepts and synthetic techniques.
Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to clearly communicate understanding of experimental procedures and results in the laboratory setting.
Willingness to communicate project goals and findings clearly and in detail to team members.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE).
Ability to lift up to 15 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Student entering junior or senior year of undergraduate study.
Prior exposure to chemistry research in an academic or industrial setting, preferably in organic synthesis, bioconjugation, or a related field.
Experience with structure elucidation using analytical techniques such as NMR, HPLC, and mass spectrometry.
Previous experience organizing laboratory findings into a formal research presentation.

Responsibilities

Work closely with Process Development team members to design, execute, and optimize scalable manufacturing processes for new oligonucleotide conjugates intended for toxicological and clinical applications.
Perform synthesis, isolation, purification, and characterization of small molecules, with an emphasis on developing robust and reproducible procedures.
Utilize analytical techniques to characterize products and product-related impurities.
Critically analyze and interpret experimental data and results to support process development decisions.
Maintain accurate, thorough, and well-documented laboratory notebooks in accordance with company standards.
Prepare and present findings from the summer research project to the Process Development team during group meetings.