INTERNSHIP (WITH POTENTIAL PHD OPPORTUNITY) – ANTIBODY AND PEPTIDE LIBRARY TECHNOLOGIES

Join a Leading Innovator in Targeted Biopharmaceuticals

About us

Philogen is a Swiss-Italian integrated biotechnology company founded in 1996, dedicated to developing innovative biopharmaceuticals for cancer therapy (http://www.philogen.com). Philochem AG is the discovery R&D center of the Philogen Group located in Otelfingen (Zurich, Switzerland). Promising preclinical candidates developed at Philochem are subsequently produced at Philogen’s authorized Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities in Siena (Italy). The Company currently sponsors and coordinates Phase I, II and III prospective clinical trials in Europe and in the United States. Despite the focus on cancer research, the company is also active in discovering innovative therapies for inflammatory conditions.

Philochem operates with four key departments:

• Biology: Discovery of innovative therapeutic proteins.
• Cell Line Development: Development of GMP-ready mammalian cell lines expressing therapeutic proteins.
• Chemistry: Creating diagnostic and therapeutic targeted small organic molecules.
• Mass Spectrometry: Bridging Biology and Chemistry to support the advancement of preclinical and clinical products.

Your Role

We are seeking an experienced and motivated student to join our Biology team. In this role, you will mainly focus on designing, building and screening antibody and peptide libraries to isolate new binders against targets of pharmaceutical interest. In collaboration with other research groups, you will be involved in the design, cloning, production, purification and testing of novel antibody and peptide-based therapeutics using both standard and advanced biomolecular techniques. This project may also foresee collaborations with prominent Universities or partnered Pharmaceutical companies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and construct diverse antibody and peptide libraries (e.g., Phage display and other display methodologies)
• Develop and optimise selection/screening strategies to identify high-affinity binders
• Characterise hits using biochemical and biophysical assays (e.g., ELISA and SPR)
• Analyse sequencing data to assess library diversity and enrichment
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for downstream validation and lead optimisation
• Utilize a variety of molecular biology, protein expression, and purification techniques to advance therapeutic prototypes.

Who We Are Looking For

Required Experience:

• Master Degree in Biology, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related field.
• Experience in protein engineering
• Strong knowledge of immunology and antibody-based therapeutics.
• Expertise in molecular biology techniques (e.g., primer design, cloning, PCR, vector design).
• Experience with protein expression and purification (both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems).
• Proficiency in analytical protein biochemistry (e.g., SDS-PAGE, Size Exclusion Chromatography, flow cytometry, surface plasmon resonance).
• Experience in Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis (SPPS) and anayltical skills (HPLC; LC-MS)
• Strong scientific writing and PowerPoint presentation skills
• Additional Experience/Skills:
• Experience with conducting in vivo experiments in rodent models is a plus.
• Experience with Encoded Library Technologies, such as Antibody and/or Peptide Phage Display, Mammalian Display, Yeast display, and/or Ribosome Display.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical information in an accessible manner.
• Collaborative team player with a curiosity-driven approach to research.
• Fluency in English (both oral and written).

What we offer?

• Work on groundbreaking projects in antibody and peptide therapeutics.
• Collaborate with leading experts in academia and industry.
• Strengthen expertise on preclinical research.
• PhD pathway: transition into a PhD program upon mutual agreement , supported by a partnership between Philochem and European Universities.
• Mentorship and publications: direct menthorship from experts in the field and opportunities to publish in top scientific journals
• Collaboratiove and Innovative environment

How to Apply

Interested candidates should send their CV, motivation letter, university transcripts and at least two reference letters to Dr.Laura Alvigini (E-Mail schreiben) and Dr. Simona Angerani (E-Mail schreiben).