Research Associate- In Vivo Pharmacology

The successful candidate will join the Oncology Discovery Pharmacology and In Vivo Biology group at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Cambridge, MA and aide in the advancement of early stage therapeutics in tumor immuno-biology. The position will utilize in vivo models and immunological techniques to profile novel therapeutics and identify and validate targets that confer resistance to immunotherapies.

The qualified candidate is a highly motivated, interactive, and creative individual that possesses the ability to work across a highly matrixed environment to advance preclinical drug development programs from target identification/validation through IND enabling activities. The candidate will be expected to effectively collaborate with colleagues in the Discovery Oncology, protein engineering/antibody development, pharmaceutical optimization, and chemistry groups. The successful candidate will demonstrate clear and professional verbal and written communication, capable of presenting scientific results to multidisciplinary teams and key stakeholders.

Qualifications

• A B.S. with at least two years relevant industry experience and a clearly demonstrated skill set in in vivo oncology, immuno-oncology, or immunology is required
• Demonstrated competency in independently using in vivo mouse tumor models to perform PK/PD and efficacy studies and blood/tissue collection is required.
• Experience with syngeneic tumor models is preferred; experience with GEMMs is a plus.

• Competency in dosing (PO, IP, IV, SC) is required.
• Proficiency in cell culture is required.
• Experience harvesting and disaggregating tumors and lymph nodes for subsequent analysis by FACS is highly desirable.
• Working knowledge of multi-color FACS including characterization of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes is highly desirable.

• Experience assessing pharmacodynamic effects in tissues using assays such as ELISAs (MSD), qPCR or WB highly desirable.

• Proficiency in utilizing software such as Graph Pad, Microsoft office etc. for data analysis and figure generation is required.
• Experience conducting in vivo pooled genetic screens is highly desirable, but not required.
• Excellent organizational skills and a detail-oriented approach to the execution of experiments and record keeping is a requirement.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact effectively with peers and management is required.

Responsibilities include

• Independently conduct mouse in vivo pharmacology experiments, including but not limited to model development, tumor implantation, animal identification and randomization, dosing via IV, IP, SC, I-TUMOR and PO routes, tumor measurements by caliper, weighing, health monitoring, tissue sampling by fine needle biopsy and core needle biopsy, peritoneal lavage, blood draws by retro-orbital, tail vessel micro-sampling, cardiac puncture and tissue/tumor collection at necropsy including fixation, freezing and tissue disaggregation to support ex vivo analyses (e.g. FACS).
• Independently conduct in vivo efficacy and PK/PD studies and experiments supporting the development of new pharmacology models
• Utilize ELISAs (MSD), qPCR, or WB to monitor biomarkers in harvested tissues.
• Contribute to the utilization of multi-color flow cytometry to profile the immune infiltrate in harvested mouse tissues.
• Accurately maintain proper scientific documentation associated with pharmacology studies in an electronic lab notebook.
• Effectively communicate and present summaries of research results to team members or to a multidisciplinary team of researchers.
• Work as a member of a diverse and motivated team of researchers spanning across the Oncology Discovery group and other line functions.
• Rotating weekend, holiday and off-hour on-site responsibilities to support BID/QD dosing will be expected of this position.
• This position is located in Cambridge, MA. There will be less than 10% travel.