Job Description
At our Company, we are committed to be the premier, research-intensive biopharmaceutical company and are dedicated to providing leading innovations and solutions for today and the future. Our mission is to discover, develop and provide medicines and vaccines that save and improve lives around the world. We strive to transform breakthrough science into novel therapeutics and vaccines and our scientific curiosity drives us to invent solutions to some of the world's most challenging diseases. Many begin in our research laboratories, where we push the boundaries of science with the hope and expectation that the medicines and vaccines we invent will lead to better health for society for generations to come.
In Singapore, our research centre focuses on identifying and validating new drug targets, exploring innovative therapeutic modalities and leveraging clinical studies and patient–derived material to understand biomarkers of disease or therapeutic response to increase our understanding of human biology and to drive a therapeutic pipeline to address unmet medical needs. Our state-of-the-art laboratory supports discovery biology and translational medicine and is an integral part of our Company's world-class network for drug and vaccine discovery.
As an intern within our research laboratories, you will gain the opportunity to work with talented and dedicated scientists, learn from leading industry experts, gain exposure and professional experience working for a research-driven enterprise; and use your passion, creativity, knowledge and collaboration skills to find solutions to challenging problems in your day-to-day work
The department's mission is to identify and validate novel targets across various therapeutic areas with multiple discovery biology units.
Over the past decade, mRNA therapeutics have shown promise in a broad range of therapeutic applications, including infectious diseases, genetic disorders, cancer, regenerative medicine, and vaccines. They have gained significant attention and have shown clinical success, especially with the recent development and emergency use authorization of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.
A key feature of mRNA medicines is their high degree of customizability. Optimal production of therapeutic proteins from mRNA medicines requires a thorough understanding of the interplay between nucleotide sequence, nucleotide modification and RNA structure in affecting translational efficiency and mRNA stability. This project aims to establish a workflow to quantify mRNA half-lives in a high throughput manner within cells and to understand how different physiological conditions (within LNPs or ex vivo) impact mRNA half-lives. The methods established in this project could ultimately drive different mRNA therapeutic pipeline projects.
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What You Will Do:
The Research Intern will work closely with an assigned scientific supervisor on a lab-based research project in biomedical research.
This position will collaborate in a multi-disciplinary way, specifically within both the Screening Technologies & Analytics Group and Exploratory & Enabling Sciences Group to develop methods to measure and quantify the stability and corresponding protein output of therapeutic mRNAs. Protocols, methods and workflows established from this project would enable our understanding of how different mRNA modifications alter mRNA stability. The knowledge generated would support the progression of our mRNA therapeutics pipeline and advance key partnerships.
As an intern within our research laboratories, you will gain the opportunity to work with talented and dedicated scientists, learn from leading industry experts, gain exposure and professional experience working for a research-driven enterprise; and use your passion, creativity, knowledge and collaboration skills to find solutions to challenging problems in your day-to-day work.
At the end of the internship, the candidate would:
- Gain hands-on experience with different molecular biology, imaging and analytical techniques
- Develop deeper understanding of steps involved in assay development and the drug discovery process.
- Deep dive into RNA biology and optimization of mRNA therapeutics
- Develop scientific thinking and communication skills through scientific writing and presentations.
Job Description:
- Optimize analytical methods to determine mRNA integrity (gel electrophoresis, Bioanalyzer, LC/MS)
- Maintain in vitro 2D cell cultures and perform cell-based assays.
- Perform data analysis and develop methods to quantify mRNA half-lives.
- Document relevant experiments and results in electronic notebooks
- Participate, communicate, and present research results in internal scientific discussions between cross-functional teams
Qualification:
- Enrolment in an Undergraduate or Master’s program leading to a Degree in a Biomedical Sciences, Biological Sciences or Life Sciences-related discipline. Other programmes can be considered on individual merit.
Preferred Experience and Skills:
- Working knowledge of laboratory-based methodologies such as aseptic cell culture techniques, molecular biology, imaging
- Hands-on laboratory experience preferred.
- Ability to work with minimal supervision.
- Strong written and oral communication skills
Who We Look For:
- Strong interest in working in a research-intensive environment.
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills
- Interpersonal skills necessary for working in a highly collaborative, cross-functional working environment.
- Have a positive, proactive, can-do attitude
- Passionate for learning and a good team player.
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Availability for 6 months in a full-time capacity preferred
Search Firm Representatives Please Read CarefullyÂ
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. Â No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.Â
Employee Status:
Intern/Co-op (Fixed Term)
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