Research Associate/Sr. Research Associate, Process Sciences

About Mantra Bio:

Mantra Bio is a biotechnology company developing exosome therapeutics for oncology and neurodegenerative disease. We are a data-first company re-imagining therapeutics from the ground up by leveraging insights from exosomes. Our team of biologists, data scientists, and platform engineers have built REVEAL^TM, a proprietary exosome intelligence platform enabling the discovery of exosomes therapeutics in multiple disease areas. We are proud to count 8VC, Viking, Illumina, and TenCent among our investors. Mantra Bio is a resident company of Bayer Innovation, Bayer Co-Laborator in Mission Bay, San Francisco.  

About the Role:

Mantra Bio is seeking a driven, self-motivated, and detail-oriented research associate to join our Process Sciences team and support the production of material for preclinical testing, as part of our exosome therapy programs. Additionally, the candidate will  assist with analytical assay development and routine analytical characterization efforts. The incumbent will work cross-functionally with researchers, data scientists, and engineers to deliver high quality and meticulously characterized lots of extracellular vesicle (EV) products. The successful candidate will be operationally minded, able to run multiple projects in parallel, a problem solver, and willing to do what it takes to drive projects forward. 

We expect the RA/SRA to have current and extensive knowledge of biologics’ characterization assays, including HPLC and Flow Cytometry based methods. The incumbent will assist in developing analytical assays for process and product characterization, and will support process development and material production. Prior hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and aseptic technique is required. Familiarity with bioprocess development (bioreactor operation, tangential flow filtration, and protein purification methods) is highly desired.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in EV production campaigns in adherent and suspension mammalian cell cultures, using aseptic technique, and with minimal contamination events.
• Assist in downstream isolation and purification of EV lots for various preclinical studies. 
• Execute and improve currently established EV characterization assays and protocols, including Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), protein quantitation, vesicle and cell-based flow cytometry, and other plate-based assays.
• Execute validated HPLC-based analytical assays and assist with novel HPLC-based method development and implementation.
• Design and execute improvement studies for our currently established analytical characterization assays under supervision.
• Actively maintain lab inventory and ensure common lab equipment is in working order.
• Maintain electronic lab notebooks for experimental documentation.
• Organize, analyze, and communicate results clearly and efficiently to team members.
• Perform other laboratory tasks as assigned and/or required.

What We're Looking For:

• BS/MS degree with 2+ years hands-on experience with analytical techniques.
• Experience with Flow Cytometry or Liquid Chromatography  (HPLC or FPLC) is required.
• Experience working with mammalian cell cultures is required.
• Excellent aseptic technique.
• Knowledge of protein production in cell cultures and downstream purification processes is preferred.
• Experience working in a request/service manufacturing environment is a nice to have.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including clear, succinct, and timely communication, and proven ability to foster strong relationships with other team members and stakeholders. 
• Highly self-motivated and detail-oriented, practical problem-solver, with a desire to work in a dynamic, fast-moving team.
• Familiarity or experience with scripting and statistical analysis of data, nice to have.
• Experience collaborating with computational scientists while analyzing data, nice to have.

Our Mission:

Well Being for All. 

We create exosome therapeutics that eliminate suffering and enable our global community to live well. At Mantra Bio, we believe in cultivating a principled environment of ‘Well Being’ for our team first that extends to the patients we seek to cure.

Mantra Bio’s Culture:

At Mantra Bio, we value Self-Empowerment, Candor, Curiosity, and Unity. We take pride in building a close knit team of humble, wildly intelligent All Stars that thrive in collaborative environments. We trust each team member to do what’s best for the organization and strive for ‘People over Process.’ We believe that a culture of feedback is essential to personal growth, and in turn, organizational growth. We practice giving and receiving feedback as often as we can, while giving and receiving kudos even more. Above all, we believe in cultivating curiosity and learning, in an environment of empathy and respect.

Mantra Bio is committed to inclusion and diversity in our hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We believe in diversity being the backbone of a strong company.