Intern, Discovery Preparation and Humanization, Antibody Discovery

Role
Within the Discovery Preparation & Humanization team we are offering an internship or graduation project for an enthusiastic MSc student. The candidate will join our team in Utrecht for 7 –9 months to conduct scientific research on Genmab's state-of-the-art antibody products and formats and therefore contribute to improving the lives of cancer patients!

Project

A ntibodies are crucial tools in the development of targeted therapies, and Genmab’s innovative antibody formats continuously lead the way to new and innovative treatments for patients . Many therapeutic antibody targets naturally form multimers on the cell surface in order to induce efficient and selective signaling. Detailed characterization of the binding and signaling behavior of the antibody to its targe t using in vitro assays is crucial to increase understanding and drive successful development of new products. I t is important to understand t he behavior of protein targets that have the potential to form dimers or oligomers within the conditions of these in vitro experiments , and to study the effect they have on the outcome of th e characterization and screening studies .

In this internship, the focus will be on producing and characterizing oligomeric protein targets. Sp ecifically, the intern will work with engineered protein targets that exist in specific oligomeric states, helping to dissect the impact of these states on antibody binding affinity and behavior using b iophysical methods including Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) . The project will be carried out in close collaboration with the Functional Characterization & Bioassays team in the CMC department , providing the intern with hands-on experience in protein design, production, and biophysical characterization.

By developing oligomeric protein targets and benchmarking their in vitro behavior, you will contribute to a better understanding of how the oligomeric state of a target influences antibody binding . This knowledge is expected to improve the screening and characterization of therapeutic antibodies and enabl e more efficient mapping of antibody binding characteristics .

Responsibilities

• You design prote ins that constitutively exist in a certain oligomeric state using protein engineering techniques and you support successful product ion and purification of these constructs.
• You develop binding assays and perform affinity measurements using SPR and ITC.
• You critically assess the quality and outcome of binding assays and provide the team with detailed molecular hypotheses underpinning the observed behavior .
• You communicate results clearly to the rest of the team or department.
• You work in the lab in an organized manner and strive to consistently generate good results .
• You document results in an organized and concise manner in the Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN).

Requirements

• You are currently connected to a Dutch university and pursuing a Master's degree in a relevant area, e.g. biomedical sciences or biomedical engineering, molecular biology, life sciences, immunology, or similar.
• Knowledge and understanding of protein engineering is a pre.
• Knowledge and understanding of biophysical techniques such as ITC, SPR and BLI is a pre.
• Ability to work successfully in a fast-paced environment in collaboration with a diverse group of scientists and other stakeholders.
• Ability to be proactive, enthusiastic and goal oriented.
• Strong communication skills in English, both oral and written.