Senior Research Associate

Xyphos Biosciences is a small, private biotechnology company located in South San Francisco developing a novel adoptive cell therapy technology platform and building a pipeline of proprietary products, with our lead candidate entering clinical testing in 12-18 months.  Our technology not only improves upon current chimeric antigen receptor design and engineering, but also provides a uniquely flexible and adaptable system that can be implemented for facile targeting and manipulation of cellular therapies.  While our current efforts are focused in oncology, we expect our technology to be useful in the treatment of viral and autoimmune diseases. Providing strong validation and support for our approach, we recently partnered with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.  We offer the opportunity to participate in developing novel therapies for life-threatening diseases, an exciting and fun work environment and a competitive benefit and compensation package that includes stock options in a young, but rapidly growing company.

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Research Associate who will both support and independently contribute to our research and discovery efforts creating and characterizing novel CAR-T approaches to cancer treatment.  The Senior Research Associate will be a key member of the research team and, as such, needs to demonstrate adaptability to address dynamic research needs.  Excellent communication skills, good record-keeping and organization, good time management, ability to work independently, and a strong work ethic are required.

Responsibilities will include:

• Isolation and enrichment of primary human T cells
• Lentivirus production and lentiviral transduction of human T cells
• Maintenance of cell lines
• Transient transfection of mammalian cells for protein expression followed by their purification and quality characterization
• Designing, developing, and troubleshooting assays
• Thinking strategically and creatively about the science

Position requirements:

• At least five years of relevant experience at a biotechnology company in the research and discovery field
• Prior experience working with a smaller company in a start-up environment is desirable
• B.S. or M.S. degree in immunology, cell biology, bioengineering, or a related discipline
• Excellent bench scientist with strong technical skills including extensive experience in mammalian cell culture and functional assays of human immune cells
• Technical proficiency in molecular biology, flow cytometry, and protein biochemistry/purification
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Willingness to rapidly learn and adopt new techniques as needed to fulfill research objectives