Scientist - Gene Therapy, Research & Development

About Strm.bio

STRM.BIO (“Storm Bio”) is a pre-clinical, VC-backed biotechnology company that is leveraging naturally-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) to deliver gene therapies in vivo. We believe in a culture where people come first and where personal accountability is key to a healthy organization. There is both elegance and efficiency in simplicity, and we let this approach drive both our science and our strategy.

STRM.BIO is operating on a hybrid-virtual model. We are driving research in our internal laboratory space while simultaneously leveraging the existing laboratory infrastructure and expertise of our scientific collaborators, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), and advisors to focus on what matters--our research. All meetings are remote-inclusive, but teams will meet in person to whiteboard strategy, visit partners to advance programs, and celebrate our wins!

We are assembling a team of leaders who share our company values, who believe in the promise of EVs to bring transformative therapies to patients, and who will actively contribute to a culture of continuous learning, innovative discovery, and unyielding commitment to high quality science.

THE TECHNOLOGY

STRM.BIO is creating a proprietary EV platform to deliver gene therapies in vivo and establish a new class of therapeutics. EVs are natural carriers of nucleic acids and proteins and hold tremendous promise as direct cell messengers for gene therapies due to their innate targeting, amenability to large scale/commercial manufacture, and low immunogenicity. At STRM, we are aiming to create new therapies and uniquely enable effective targeting of existing ones to democratize gene therapy. We believe our platform will have tremendous impact on translating gene therapies into the clinic and are looking to recruit team members who can help us bring this larger vision to light.

THE PERSON AND ROLE

The Scientist position is a full-time contract position and will be 100% in-person conducting benchwork. You will work directly with the Director of Research to manage your scientific programs while contributing to strategic laboratory meetings. You should be very comfortable with coordination of multiple pipeline projects, as well as communicating with CROs as required.

To be successful in this role, you should be someone who is always up for a challenge and finds the unique demands of the fast-paced startup environment motivating. You will need to be adept at managing both projects and collaborations, and be able to do both while espousing the people-first, simplicity-oriented values we hold as core to STRM culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain standards consistent with company culture and values
• Perform other duties as assigned, including all those associated with facilitating the smooth operation of a wet lab environment
• Maintain comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of extracellular vesicle biology, extracellular vesicles as therapeutics, and novel genetic engineering approaches
• Generate, analyze, interpret, and share experimental results and ensure that all protocols, reagents, data, and analyses are documented following data integrity principles and prepared and made available in a timely manner
• Contribute to, and lead as required, R&D efforts to meet project milestones, maintaining the standards of scientific rigor and adhering to ethical standards
• Attend and present at team meetings to share results, and plan projects and experiments, with a keen eye for achieving company milestones
• Support the Director of Research and R&D team in managing, coordinating, and supporting the research efforts across multiple collaborative research programs
• Work closely with team members (internal and external) to maintain project development, implementation and troubleshooting of experiments, and ensure deliverables for both internal research projects and external scientific partnerships

Required

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Proficiency in EV handling methods including ultracentrifugation, size exclusion chromatography, and nanoparticle tracking analysis.
• Exemplary lab notebook practices, and attention to detail in recordkeeping
• Strong background in working with cellular models of disease, including but not limited to; cell lines, primary murine cells and patient derived cell types
• Expertise in genome editing technologies, including CRISPR-based methods, base- editing, deletions and knock-ins and gene silencing/activation
• PhD and 0-4 years of postdoctoral experience in a relevant discipline with strong foundational knowledge of EV biology and EV experimentation
• Ability to balance/prioritize research efforts across multiple programs, meet deadlines, and shift plans in service of a rapidly-changing startup environment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, with excellent PowerPoint and Excel skills
• Hands-on experience in isolating, characterizing and manipulating EVs in vitro and in vivo
• Experience in genetic, molecular, and cellular biology techniques, including plasmid construction, qPCR, RT-PCR, western blotting, microscopy, multiplexed flow cytometry, and techniques to assess gene editing efficiency and off-target effects (e.g. NGS)
• Exceptional communication, writing, organizational and time management skills

Preferred

• Experience with electronic lab notebooks (ELNs)
• Experience working with collaborators and CROs (CMC’s also is ideal)
• Hands-on experience in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies determining the efficacy of gene editing/gene therapy including quantification of editing efficiency/gene delivery, and effects on gene and protein expression in modified cells
• Experience in design, synthesis, and evaluation of gene expression cassettes/constructs
• Experience in hematopoietic stem cell biology and hematologic diseases
• Experience in primary hematopoietic cell culture
• Working knowledge of editing techniques (e.g. TALEN, ZFNs, CRISPR) and gene therapy delivery technologies (e.g. viral vectors, LNPs, exosomes)

KEY POSITION DETAILS

 Full-time Contract Position (4-6 months)

 Salary and benefits consistent with the competitive market of Boston/Cambridge and commensurate with experience

 In-person benchwork in Boston/Cambridge area and/or at partner headquarters location(s)

To learn more about this position, please submit your resume and cover letter directly to: Dr. Iain Thompson, Director of Research at

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