Orgagen Biosciences, Inc., an emerging regenerative medicine company using synthetic biology technology developed at MIT, is seeking a developmental cell biology scientist to join the research and development department of the company. Work will include generating in vitro proof-of-concept data to support the development of genetically engineered iPSC-derived programmable organoid for drug screening and cell therapy products. The scientist will be responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing activities supporting the translation of research and development efforts into diagnostics products and clinic. The position requires focus, adaptability, creativity, the ability to hire and manage research associate(s), excellent verbal and written communication skills, and a capacity for ongoing innovation in pursuit of company goals. The environment is exciting and fast-paced and offers the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of engineered cell therapy and drug screening research and development.
Title: Scientist I/II Developmental Cell Biology
Manager: President R&D
Location: Cambridge, MA
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
· Conduct in-house studies and coordinate with external partners towards executing the development of genetically engineered iPSC-derived programmable organoids for drug safety testing as well as cell therapy products to treat chronic indications, with an initial emphasis on liver organoids
· Establish processes and analytics in-house for iPSC genetic engineering, synthetic biology circuit implementation, differentiation into liver organoids, and phenotypic/functional organoid characterization in vitro
· Conduct and optimize phenotypic and functional characterization (including single cell spatial transcriptomics) of genetically engineered human iPSC-derived 3D organoids
· Develop scale-up processes for automated generation of programmable liver organoids from patient derived iPSC cells
· Successfully execute and document laboratory procedures and experiments with attention to detail
· Coordinate tech transfer from esteemed academic institutions
· Other duties as assigned
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS:
· Ph.D. in developmental/stem cell biology, synthetic biology, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, biochemistry, molecular biology, or related field
· 1+ years of biopharma industry experience or comparable academic experience
· Extensive experience with human iPSC culture, differentiation, organoid development and phenotypic/functional characterization protocols
· Broad knowledge and expertise in molecular and cell biology including molecular cell cloning, genome editing and synthetic biology
· Experience with viral (retroviral, lentiviral, HSV, AAV) and non-viral (long ssDNA, long dsDNA, RNP, mRNA) gene delivery systems
· Experience with genome editing technologies, including recombination and HDR of large transgenes (>10 kb) in iPSCs
· Working knowledge of human immunology
· Experience with genetic and acquired liver disorders
· Dedicated, hard-working, and dependable
· Strong communication, writing, and data presentation skills
· Ability to work in a fast-paced team-oriented, multidisciplinary environment
ADDITIONAL PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
· Experience with highly multiplexed flow cytometry and FACS
· Experience with antibody / bead-based cell selection systems
· Experience with systems biology and computational modelling
· Experience with single cell genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses
· Understanding of immunologic responses to systemic gene and cell delivery
· Experience with transdifferentiation approaches
· Experience in working with primary human blood samples
· Familiarity with assay development and qualification
SALARY STATEMENT:
Orgagen Biosciences offers competitive salary and equity as part of the compensation for this position. Salary will be based on the candidate's unique skill set, education, and experience. Orgagen Biosciences also offers a competitive benefits package for an emerging company, including medical, paid time off, paid sick leave.