Research Associate - Molecular Biology

Precision BioSciences is seeking a Research Associate whose primary focus will be PCR within the Product Sciences Team. This person will provide bioanalytical support for Process Science projects related to manufacturing of cell therapy (CAR-T cell) products, adeno-associated virus (AAV) and mRNA. The Research Associate will participate in assay development and technology transfer to quality control laboratories within Precision BioSciences. The position is lab-based with a focus on molecular biology-based assays.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. This list contains the major duties and requirements of the job and is not all-inclusive. Incumbent(s) may be expected to perform role-related duties other than those contained in this document.

·      Execute established assays and analyze data according to SOPs and report results of analysis in a timely manner

·      Work individually and as part of a team to establish new assays that may be used for release of drug products or drug substance intermediates.

·      Quantitative PCR-based assay execution and analysis (real-time PCR, digital PCR, targeted NGS library prep)

·      Nucleic acid purification using manual and automated platforms

·      Nucleic acid quantification and QC

·      Perform aseptic cell culture with primary mammalian cells or cell lines

·      Isolate primary immune cells from blood and cell culture

·      Coordinate with Process Science team to plan and conduct experiments that need to be carried out in a timely manner to achieve development goals

·      Work collaboratively on aspects of experiments to be performed by other members of the team as part of larger ongoing experiments

·      Coordinate with Group leaders to ensure the following:

o  SOPs are written and updated for techniques and assays

o  Equipment is properly maintained

o  Consumables are ordered and stocked as needed

o  Cells and other reagents are available for experiments as needed

·      Maintain an electronic lab notebook to document all experiments in a timely fashion

Required:

·      Experience extracting nucleic acids from animal and human cells/tissues

·      Ability to carry out and analyze quantitative PCR-based assays (qPCR, dPCR, NGS)

·      Experience culturing primary human T cells and routine laboratory cell lines

·      Experience generating new cell lines via chemical transfection and/or electroporation

·      Demonstrable understanding of genome editing and molecular genetics

·      Exceptional collaboration and communication skills

Preferred:

·      Working knowledge of ddPCR is highly preferred

·      Experience with high-throughput transfection/electroporation

·      Experience with molecular diagnostics (e.g. limit assays for detection of pathogen DNA, quantitative assessment of target sequence in gDNA, cfDNA or other matrix)

·      Familiarity with drug substance and drug product release testing methodologies

·      Familiarity with statistical and DoE software (e.g. GraphPad Prism, JMP, etc.)

·      Minimal travel is required for this position. Opportunities to participate in conferences, seminars and workshops will be available and encouraged.

·      This is a laboratory-based position located at the Precision BioSciences, Inc. headquarters in Durham, NC