About this role
Job summary
The Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Unit at Guy's Hospital was formed to accelerate the translation of novel approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of major unmet diseases relevant to the NHS, and will ultimately contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes. Specialising in developing and manufacturing cell and gene therapies for use in early phase clinical trials, the GMP Unit is looking to appoint a Advanced Therapy Quality Scientist.
Main duties of the job
The field of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products is expanding rapidly; this post gives the prospective candidate the opportunity to expand their horizons and promote this field. If successfully appointed, you will have gained at least a first degree or equivalent, and will ideally be experienced in developing and / or performing quality control assays for cell or gene therapies. You will support in the quality control of Investigational Medicinal Products (IMP) for clinical trials. You will assist with developing and improving existing quality control methods for testing the purity, identity, functional and safety profile of cell and gene therapies manufactured by the unit. You will play a key role in the quality control of IMP as determined by the clinical needs of participants in current and future clinical trials. You will also assist customers to develop In-Process Quality Control assays. You will work as part of a team maintaining the GMP facilities and equipment in accordance with maintenance and validation programmes.
The successful applicant will operate within and contribute to a GMP Pharmaceutical Quality System including change control, preventive actions, deviation management and document control.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential, as is the ability to work autonomously and as part of a team within a multi-disciplinary environment.
About us
Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTFT) and King's College London (KCL) have formed a centre that has a strong focus on translational research taking advances in basic medical research out of the laboratory and into the clinical setting, forming a key part of the Department of Health's new strategy for research and development in the NHS. The Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Unit is co-located with the Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Guy's Hospital. The GMP Unit is purpose built for the manufacture of somatic cell therapies, gene therapies and proteins for early-phase clinical trials. It is used by staff from different departments within GSTFT and KCL to manufacture products related to trials undertaken in the CRF and at trial sites across the UK.
Job description Job responsibilities
Professional / Clinical responsibilities
Lead in the testing of clinical grade gene and cell therapy products as determined by the clinical need of participants on current clinical trials as delegated by the Head of Advanced Therapy Quality. To ensure that the products tested, documented and stored according to product specification and quality standards, and regulatory authorisations. Management and Leadership responsibilities Attend and lead in presenting research and specialist technical knowledge at: lab meetings, seminars and national or international meetings where deemed appropriate. Share with others research and specialist technical knowledge related to the organisation, running and maintenance of the GMP unit. Work independently to undertake specialist tests and make informed decisions relating to products manufactured in the GMP Unit. Work independently to undertake specialist Validation and Qualification for the GMP Unit and its Equipment as delegated by the Head of Advanced Therapy Quality. Testing Responsibilities:
Using specialist experience in cell manipulation and processing for clinical use develop testing methods involving: flow cytometry; proliferation methodologies; nucleic-acid techniques; standard phamacopoeial methods for sterility, endotoxin, and mycoplasma detection. To work collaboratively with internal and external customers to undertake assay validation work within the GMP Unit to optimise procedures under GMP conditions and provide data for application to the regulatory authorities. To work collaboratively with internal and external customers to collate test data within the GMP unit to finalise the analytical procedure under GMP conditions and provide data for application to the regulatory authorities. To test cellular therapies under GMP conditions for use in clinical trials or as directed by a commercial organisation as the named contracted manufacturer. Maintain, operate, and clean the GMP Units Equipment and facilities in compliance with Units defined procedures and standards. Qualify, process validate and re-validate equipment and GMP procedures successfully and on schedule according to the Units Validation Master Plan. Monitor and control the GMP Quality Control environment to ensure that standards of cleanliness and hygiene are maintained. Ensure all waste generated is subject to appropriate management and disposal. Quality Assurance Responsibilities Where directed or delegated by the Head of Advanced Therapy Quality assist in Quality Assurance activities relating to allocated projects, including Product Quality Review, and statistical analysis of compiled results. Take on delegated responsibility for quality control review of Batch Manufacturing Records and other OSS/OOT records in support of certification and release of gene and cell therapy products. Lead laboratory investigations relating to out of trend and out of specification results. Manage deviations appropriately using quality assurance tools such as planned deviations, change control systems and quality exception reporting and investigations. Documentation Responsibilities:
Using specialist knowledge, write SOPs relating to specific GMP Unit operations. These SOPs must comply with GMP and the Units manufacturing licence. Issue documents through the Units Q-Pulse document control systems. Using specialist knowledge, undertake the development and generation of product specific SOPs and batch specific documentation. Using specialist knowledge, undertake the development and generation of Product Specification Files for manufacture. Information management responsibilities
Play a major role in generating data and for the application to the regulatory authorities for Clinical Trial Authorisation. Actively interpret data and participate in writing up the results of the project for publication. Use specialist knowledge to archive and store appropriately and securely information in accordance with Data Integrity policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
BSc in Immunology, Haematology or equivalent experience
Desirable
PhD and/or MSc in Immunology, Haematology or equivalent
Experience Essential
Postgraduate or equivalent specialist experience of Tissue Culture, Flow Cytometry and Quantitative PCR Postgraduate or equivalent specialist experience in cell manipulation/processing for clinical use and/or working in a Clean room.
Desirable
Experience in cellular immunology techniques such as proliferation, LDA, HLA-peptide multimers, cytokine secretion and ELISPOT assays Experience in Good Manufacturing Practice
Skills Essential
Ability to participate in the organisation of the laboratory Ability to develop novel QC assays and assess suitability Knowledge of: environmental monitoring, specialist GMP unit cleaning, maintenance, validation and qualification of specialist equipment
Desirable
Knowledge relating to the manufacture and quality control of somatic cellular and gene therapy products within a GMP environment
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Address Guy's Hospital, CRF GMP Unit, 15th Floor Tower Wing
Great Maze Pond
London
SE1 9RT
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)