Senior Research Associate, Applied Immunology
Description
Company Overview
Repertoire Immune Medicines is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company working to unlock and direct the remarkable power of the human immune system to prevent or treat cancer, as well as autoimmune and infectious disease. The company is founded on the belief that the repertoire of T cell receptor (TCR)-antigen codes that drive health and disease represents one of the greatest opportunities for innovation in medical science. Repertoire scientists created and developed the DECODE suite of technologies, which allow in-depth characterization of TCR-antigen pairs, and the ability to rationally design and develop novel targeted immune medicines.
From its sites in Cambridge, Mass., and Zurich, Switzerland, Repertoire’s team of more than 80 is creating a new category of immune medicines enabled from its DECODE discovery platform. Repertoire is currently using its proprietary platform to discover novel epitopes and TCRs from patients with autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis as well as to enable development of immune oncology-targeted therapeutics to treat solid tumors.
Role Overview
Repertoire is seeking a motivated Senior Research Associate to join the Applied Immunology team. This team is responsible for innovation and early development of Repertoire’s immunotherapeutics. The successful candidate will support a team of scientists that are working to develop and validate our growing pipeline of projects. The candidate will work as part of a cross-functional team of immunologists, protein biochemists, and computational scientists to lead cell line characterization and method development/optimization for our best-in-class therapeutics while contributing to the expansion of established platform technologies.
A successful candidate will have a self-starting attitude and the ability to focus and execute in a fast-paced, dynamic, and collaborative environment. There is a significant opportunity for career growth and continuous learning while working as a part of our collaborative, cross-functional immune medicine development project teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Independently conduct activities related to assigned research study/area (e.g. experiment design, planning, and execution; report processing, interpretation, review, and documentation of experimental results).
- Support studies that screen lead molecules for optimal biological activity.
- Propose, optimize, and integrate existing and new technologies and assays to deliver improved assay readouts.
- Culture and maintain primary human T cells and tumor cell lines.
- Work as a valuable member of the cross-functional Applied Immunology and Discovery Immunology teams.
- Support general lab operations with reagent preparation, instrument maintenance, and adherence to lab safety procedures.
- Maintain and implement good laboratory practices, including accurate electronic laboratory notebook entries, instrument and reagent validation, and personnel safety precautions.
- Use strong verbal and written communication skills to share scientific and project updates to the inter-disciplinary research team.
Qualifications/Experience
- Required B.S. 4+ years of industry experience or M.S. in Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, or related field with 2+ yrs. of industry experience.
- The ideal candidate will have a strong background in a few of the following:
- Propagation and banking of tumor cell lines.
- Flow cytometry using panels of >4 colors.
- T cell functional assays (e.g., cytotoxicity, immune cell priming, expansion, activation, etc.).
- Nucleic acid (particularly mRNA) transfection techniques.
- Dendritic cell and T cell co-culture for the expansion of antigen-reactive sub-populations.
- Collaborative work within and across teams.
- Additional expertise in the following areas would be helpful:
- Immunoprecipitation of proteins from propagated cell lines.
- Peptide elutriation from immune cells.
- Methods of T cell culture to drive reactivity, phenotype, and yield.
- Mass spectrometry sample preparation.
- Strong organizational and communication skills along with excellent attention to detail.
- Proposes new approaches and highlights efficiencies, analyzes trends with minimal supervision.
- Enjoys working in a fun, fast-paced and dynamic work environment.
Repertoire is committed towards social responsibility and developing an inclusive culture. Much as the power of the immune system lies in the diversity of T and B cells, our work requires the creativity and ingenuity of a diverse workforce. We believe in actively pursuing equity in all facets of the work experience at Repertoire. We will continue to educate ourselves about the inequities and barriers present in our society and take action as a company where we can make a difference.
Repertoire is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.