Gene Therapy/Biologics (Aav) Upstream Process Development Intern

The summer intern within the Upstream - Early Research Process Development (USP-ERPD) at Columbus, OH site will get the chance to actively participate and contribute to the development of high-yielding Upstream Processes for the production of biopharmaceutical products using state-of-the-art cell culture technologies and approaches. The intern will be exposed to the challenging science and engineering involved in the Process Development, scale-up/out and production of biopharmaceutical products such as AAV vectors for Gene Therapy applications. The highly collaborative environment of Sarepta Therapeutics will expose the intern to the nature of the job of multiple teams, departments, and leadership in getting therapeutic molecules from research to the clinic.
Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Day-to-day research focusing on solving key challenges in biopharmaceutical Upstream Process Development, process characterization, and manufacturing of AAVs
• Assisting in the operation of cell culture bioreactor systems including Ambr15 and Ambr250
• Collaborating with teams of scientists in the areas of cell line development and screening, Upstream Process Development, cell line engineering, high throughput screening, media development, -omics, continuous processing, downstream Process Development, and Vector Core
• Participating in departmental and project team meetings to provide a broad perspective on the drug development process in the pharmaceutical industry
• Recording of experimental details and for analysis and interpretation of data that may be used for internal or external scientific publications and/or patents which may follow from the internship
• Gaining further knowledge and skill sets via refinement of laboratory skills, introduction to new experimental techniques, exposure to current challenges in bioprocess research, and perspectives on the practical aspects of drug development
• Understanding biochemistry, statistical data analysis, and general engineering principles
• Learning and performing mammalian cell culture aseptic techniques at various bench scales and bioreactor platforms
• Supporting the design, execution, and analysis of lab experiments with the objective of cell culture Process Development using state-of-the-art lab-scale and high throughput bioreactors
• Facilitating the routine operation of the high throughput bioreactor systems
• Assisting in conducting experiments to optimize process parameters in the aim of maximizing AAV vector productivity and quality
• Documenting and interpreting data to support cell culture Process Development and characterization
• Training on all major equipment and processes in the cell culture lab

Desired Education and Skills:

• Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program with a major in Chemical/Biomedical/Biochemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Biology, Bioengineering, or a related discipline of study
• Enrolled in a 4-year accredited university/college, including enrollment in the Fall Semester after completing the internship. At a minimum, summer interns should have completed their freshman year in college/graduate school
• Previous experience with mammalian or microbial cell culture preferred
• In good academic standing within their program and the university
• Highly motivated and passionate about the biopharmaceutical industry and learning about industry technology
• High degree of initiative and attention to detail
• Able to work under supervision and independently
• Good written and verbal communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills
• Proven record of teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving skills, innovation, and integrity

Program Timeline:

• This application is for a 10 or 12-week summer internship program that will either start on May 28th or June 10th.
• The program will conclude on August 16th, 2024.

This is a facility-dependent position where in-office presence is required four-five days a week.
#LI-Onsite
This position requires work on site at one of Sarepta's facilities in the United States.
The targeted salary range for this position is $21 - $25 per hour depending upon years of education completed and nature of role.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.
Sarepta Therapeutics offers a competitive compensation and benefit package.
Sarepta Therapeutics is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and participates in e-Verify.