Therapeutics Discovery and Development Internship

The following information is required on the application:

• Personal and demographic information
• Official transcript(s) from undergraduate university
• Statement of research experience & area(s) of interest. In addition to detailing any research experience that you may have, please use this section to highlight any specific areas of research you would like to explore this summer of faculty mentor that you would like to train with. If you do not have any research experience to date, please indicate describe your interest in pursuing an academic and/or professional career in cancer research.
• Two letters of recommendation uploaded by your referee. At least one reference should come from a science or math professor. The other may be from an advisor, counselor, or health care advisor/mentor with whom you worked in a prior program. Both letters must be submitted by your referees directly to SLATE.

Once you submit your application, you will be prompted to create a SLATE account where you can add the contact information for your referees. Once referees are added to your SLATE account, an emailed link will be sent through the system so that your referees may upload their letters of recommendation.

Incomplete applications will be purged after the deadline has passed. If the information found here did not provide the answers you need, please feel free to email the Program Coordinator, Jerome Penson, M.B.A. (jpenson@mdanderson.org) or Program Director, Basti Perazzona, Ph.D. (bperazzo@mdanderson.org). 

• High school graduates who have been accepted to an undergraduate program, with intentions to attend in the upcoming Fall semester (students must be 18 years or older by June 2, 2025;10-week program: 6/2/2025-8/8/2025)
• Undergraduate students currently enrolled in an undergraduate program with good academic standing (10-week program: 6/2/2025-8/8/2025)
• Graduate students interested in collaborative projects with any of our Therapeutics Platforms Applicants who can participate in the on-site program, which is full time (other employment/program participation is not allowed)
• Graduate students enrolled in the Master of Biotechnology Program at Texas A&M (26-week program 6/2/2025-12/5/2025) 

• Student interns receive a stipend of up to $6,800 for the 10-week program; $27,000 for the 26-week program.
• This stipend amount includes allowances for housing, living, and travel expenses - no additional allowances are available. 
• Paychecks and stipend are based on actual days worked and will be issued on the 5th and the 20th of each month, deducting the required federal tax. 

• TDD Scientist and Researchers will serve as direct supervisors for the student interns and will participate in all aspects of the training program including formal instruction and supervision of research.
• If you are interested in a specific area or TDD platform, please note this interest in your statement of research experience and areas of interest.
• TDD Scientist and Researchers will facilitate one-on-one interviews with student to assess fit within the program. 

Program Contacts:

Jerome Penson, MBA
Program Coordinator, Therapeutics Discovery
jpenson@mdanderson.org

Basti Perazzona, Ph.D.
Director, Research Planning & Development, Therapeutics Discovery
bperazzo@mdanderson.org

TDD Summer Program Email:
tdplatformsoperations@mdanderson.org

Students will contribute to ongoing research initiatives using cutting-edge drug development and innovative techniques in a variety of functional groups:

Opportunity #1 - In Vitro Pharmacology
This group designs, optimizes, validates, and implements robust state-of- the-art biochemical, biophysical, and cell-based assays for novel cancer drug targets to guide medicinal chemistry efforts through the drug discovery process to clinical candidate nominations. These assays identify active chemical entities, characterize them with respect to potency and selectivity, and determine their mode of action. An intern within this group would obtain hands-on laboratory training with in vitro assays utilizing various technologies, learn the data analysis process, and learn how results enable rapid, iterative lead optimization on drug discovery project teams.

Opportunity #2 - Biomarker Discovery and Validation 
For a treatment to be successful in vivo, a drug must reach the disease tissue and engage with the molecular target, leading to a desired effect. Before testing new anticancer drugs in humans, each compound is carefully optimized and evaluated in clinically relevant animal models that mimic human disease and treatment. The aim of the Biomarker group is to develop assays to monitor molecular indicators of drug effect on the target in an organism. An intern in this group will gain laboratory training in cell and tissue-based assays utilizing various technologies, and learn various aspects of the development, validation and utilization of biomarkers from preclinical as well as clinical samples.

Opportunity #3 - Target Discovery
Interns will have an opportunity to gain experience in translation biology activities that are critical for early drug discovery pipeline development. Major responsibilities include: (1) Implementing functional genomic screens to identify possible metabolism drug targets in cancer cells. (2) Applying a range of biological assays that characterize the activity of metabolic pathways in cancer models, including metabolomics, to help interpret the screens. (3) Carrying out more focused genetic and/or pharmacological validation of specific targets.

Opportunity #4 - Innovation, Imaging, and Automation
Candidates will have the opportunity to experience innovation development in a translational biotech-like environment. Agnostic to approach, our focus ranges from automation of image analysis, to scaling and streamlining of assays, to development of molecular pathology tools and assays understand biology of response, to the introduction of novel imaging modalities.

Opportunity #5 - Model Characterization and Disease Modeling
Candidates will have the opportunity to help our disease modeling efforts in the employment of cell- and organoid-based assays that will inform on important program objectives. These efforts can range from the design and development of these models to their characterization (e.g. responder vs. non-responder) to their interaction within in vivo systems (e.g. immune modulation).

Opportunity #6 - Biology of Rare Cancer
Candidates will have the opportunity to work with cell- and organoid-based systems that are derived from patients with very rare cancers. Our close collaborations with world-expert clinicians in these fields offers the unique opportunity to work with, characterize, and understand the biological underpinnings of rare cancers for which MD Anderson is known.

Opportunity #7 - Translational Biology
Candidates will have the opportunity to experience translation science in a biotech-like environment. Working first-hand with our program biologists, they will get to learn the principles behind how a drug works and how certain cancers will respond. Efforts will be program specific but can range from evaluating response in cell/organoid culture and in evaluating tissue specimens for target biology.

Opportunity #8 - Biology of Brain Metastasis
Candidates will have the opportunity to work with biologists who are focused on the mechanisms guiding brain metastasis. Our efforts in disease modeling and close collaboration with world-expert clinicians offer the unique opportunity to evaluate new mechanisms and drug combinations that can inform on tumor/brain interaction and tumor/immune reaction which mediate diverse responses and inform on novel mechanisms of resistance.

Students will contribute to ongoing research initiatives using cutting-edge drug development and innovative techniques in a variety of functional groups:

Opportunity #1 - Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics
The ADME/PK Group uses in vitro and LC/MS/MS techniques to evaluate the preclinical absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination (ADME) and pharmacokinetics (PK) properties of therapeutic small molecules in early discovery. Interns will have the opportunity to learn in vitro and LC/MS/MS techniques and understand the ADME and PK properties of novel therapeutics.

Opportunity #2 - Structural Chemistry
Understanding how small molecules bind to and inhibit their protein target is fundamental to the success of any drug discovery program. An intern within this group will quantify and explore the interactions between proteins and small molecules either through experimental means, learning how to express and purify recombinant proteins followed by application of biophysical and structural biology techniques, or by using computational methods to perform protein structure-based analyses. The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography and has access to high performance computing resources.

Opportunity #3 - Small Molecule Drug Discovery
Interns will work closely alongside IACS chemists, synthesizing novel compounds to be evaluated in biochemical and cell-based assays. Interns will have the opportunity to work either on a direct drug discovery project or on a closely related earlier stage project. The Medicinal Chemistry team is seeking interns who have completed basic organic chemistry lab classes and are familiar with interpreting NMR and MS spectra.

Opportunity #1 - Computational Biology
Our computational biology team investigates the novel molecular pathways of disease and multi-omic characterization of various cancers to inform on avenues of targeted therapies in collaboration with key clinical partners. Interns will work with our translational biology and reverse translation teams on various projects with topics that may include functional genomics methods and analysis, analysis of imaging-based data, single cell and spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics and genomics based.

Opportunity #2 Data - Visualization
Candidates can help develop visualization tools to enable program biologists’ visualization and interpretation of complex data streams. These tools have the potential to become part of the data analysis workflow across multiple programs.

Opportunity #3 - Disease Modeling and Functional Genomics
Candidates can help infer and develop hypotheses from multiple orthogonal datasets (e.g. RNAseq, Spatial Transcriptomics, CRISPR screening) regarding cancer modeling. The integration of diverse datasets will enable program biologists to better understand many aspects of disease/drug mechanism of action including biology of response and mechanisms of resistance.

Opportunity #4 - Data Storage and Database Organization
Candidates will have the opportunity to help structure the back-end side of database organization. They will be able to work with database experts to design optimal and cutting-edge solutions to the organization of our many and diverse data streams from sequencing data to sample and study tracking.

The TRACTION-Therapeutics Discovery and Development division at MD Anderson is seeking highly motivated interns to support our computational biology efforts in the cancer drug discovery research space. Our platform provides preclinical translational science expertise to inform our biopharma partners on the clinical development of novel personalized therapeutics. Our reverse translation team investigates the novel molecular pathways of disease and multi-omic characterization of rare cancers to inform on avenues of targeted therapies in collaboration with key clinical partners.

Students will work with our translational biology and reverse translation teams on various projects with topics that may include functional genomics methods and analysis, analysis of imaging-based data, single cell, and spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, and genomics based. The student will assist in ongoing efforts in genomic characterization, single cell, or spatial analysis, epigenomic data analysis, database development or functional genomics to advance understanding of clinical response in cancer.

We are looking for students who have prior experience in computer science, computational biology, or pursuing a career in biological research.

The ideal candidate would currently be enrolled in a computer science, bioengineering, biostatics, epidemiology, bioinformatics, computational biology, or similar fields.

Co-evolution of Leukemia and Immunity Post Stem Cell transplant (ECLIPSE) platform utilizes state-of-the-art NGS technologies to discover and develop novel immunotherapies for patients with various kinds of blood cancers.

We are a unique group of clinicians, researchers and drug development experts working collaboratively to develop the next generation of targeted, immune- and cell-based therapies.

 Based on current experience, training, and field of pursuit, students will be matched with subject matter experts in oncology, immunology, or computational biology in our group; however, our groups are integrated so expect to partake on all aspects of wet and dry bench skills and be exposed to all the workflows occurring in ECLIPSE.

We are looking for motivated students with prior experience in lab settings with experience in cell biology, bioengineering, immunology, computational biology or oncology.

 The ideal candidate would currently be enrolled in a program focused on biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, chemistry, computational biology, bioinformatics, or similar fields, and pursuing a career in biomedical research, discovery and drug development.

Accepted students will be matched with a specific TDD Platform mentor and will participate in various programmatic and research activities over the extent of the internship.