Scientist II, Cell Therapy Discovery

The Scientist II works within the Cell Therapy Discovery Team to advance Precisions approach to engineering T cells and producing cell therapy products with potential applications in immuno-oncology and additional therapeutic areas. The Scientist II carries out research projects that support development of T cell therapy platforms in accordance with Precisions goals. The Scientist II position is lab-based and will share facilities and resources with the Cell Therapy Discovery and CMC teams.

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.

• Provide leadership in advancing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T cell receptor (TCR) internal research and development programs and external collaborations from construct design and cell production through functional analyses
  • Coordinate with Cell Therapy Associate Director and senior team members to plan and execute experiments to achieve Precisions goals for developing T Cell Therapies
    • Generation and characterization of CAR T and/or recombinant TCR T cells
    • Plan and perform cell based assays to evaluate new CAR and TCR constructs, and other novel gene-edits in engineered T cells, including in vitro analyses of proliferation, cytotoxic activity, and cytokine release
    • Design constructs with novel architecture to impart addition desirable properties to CAR and TCR cell therapy products, such as for expression of additional proteins or molecules anticipated to enhance the function of next-generation engineered T cells, dual-specificity, safety switches, etc.
    • Coordinate in vivo experiments in appropriate murine models to evaluate efficacy and safety of gene-edited T cells
  • Coordinate with other scientists, research assistants and research associates to plan and execute collaborative experiments supporting Cell Therapy research projects
  • Contribute to driving the scientific direction of the Cell Therapy group by attending conferences, studying related literature, and incorporating new concepts into experimental design
  • Report results to Cell Therapy team, upper management, external parties
    • Share new data, file reports as needed, maintain updated electronic lab notebook records
    • Assist in publishing, patenting or presenting data as needed
• Assist in general operation of the Cell Culture facility
  • Coordinate with Cell Therapy and CMC teams to make sure:
    • SOPs are written and updated for techniques and assays
    • Equipment is properly maintained
    • CO2 and LN2 tanks are filled when needed
    • Shared resources are utilized appropriately between teams
    • Consumables are ordered and stocked as needed
    • Cells and other reagents are available for experiments as needed

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform this job successfully.

Education/Experience:

Required:

• PhD in cellular & molecular biology/immunology with a 2+ years related academic or industry experience or MS in cellular & molecular biology/immunology with 6+ years related academic or industry experience or BS in cellular & molecular biology/immunology with 8+ years related academic or industry experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated expertise in primary T cell culture, with preference given to candidates with in-depth knowledge and experience with cell-based assays of lymphocyte function, including proliferation, cytotoxicity, and cytokine release assays
• Experience with multiparameter flow cytometric analysis and accompanying data analysis software proficiency

Preferred:

• Extensive knowledge of TCR and immunoglobulin rearrangement and sequence analysis and previous experience designing constructs for expression of recombinant TCRs and CARs
• Experience and knowledge of molecular biology techniques, including: PCR, restriction digestion & cloning, primer design, plasmid isolation and analysis, bacterial transformation and screening, extraction of genomic DNA, DNA sequencing and analysis, and proficiency with accompanying data analysis software
• Familiarity and experience with siRNA, shRNA, protein engineering, and gene editing
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific journals. Ability to define problems, collect and analyze data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Knowledge of Microsoft Office software suite
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community
• Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations
• Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis

Travel Requirements

• This position requires little to no travel (5%)

Location

• This is an office-based position located at the main headquarters in downtown Durham, NC.

Precision BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: DTIL), is a clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to improving life (DTIL) with its novel and proprietary ARCUS genome editing platform. This isnt just a statement supporting the products that were developing its a statement that speaks to our collective desire to do our part in improving the lives of those around us. ARCUS is a highly specific and versatile genome editing platform designed with therapeutic safety, delivery, and control in mind. Using ARCUS, Precision is developing allogeneic CAR T and in vivo gene correction therapies for cancer and genetic diseases. Our team includes pioneers in genome editing, leaders in business, and a full staff of talented and committed people who are excited to be a part of medical and scientific breakthroughs. For additional information, please visit www. precisionbiosciences.com

Precision BioSciences actively fosters an inclusive environment to ensure we attract and retain the best talent; we value diversity of life experiences and perspectives; and we encourage innovation in pursuit of our mission. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Precision BioSciences complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.