Scientist, Cell Line Development

About the role

We are seeking a highly motivated and innovative scientist to join the Cell Line Development team at Sana Biotechnology. You will be responsible for developing a stable producer cell line system to support clinical and commercial viral vector manufacturing. You should have strong expertise in molecular/cell biology, gene editing techniques and viral vector production that can be applied to bioprocessing.

What you'll do

• Design, test, optimize and deploy a mammalian stable cell line system to produce viral vectors for clinical/commercial production
• Process development to establish a viral vector production process for clone screening
• Continued innovation and/or troubleshooting of the viral vector stable cell line system to support filings, novel viral vector platforms, address bioprocessing challenges and improve cell line development methodology
• Incorporate the use of automation and data science/management in the cell line development workflow to improve execution robustness and efficiency
• Support generation of clinical/commercial cell lines for gene therapy programs, as needed
• Meticulous documentation of experimental results and methods in electronic lab notebook
• Author relevant sections of INDs and BLAs
• Train and mentor junior staff

What we're looking for

• Ph.D. in a Molecular Biology, Cell Biology or related field, with 2+ years of experience post-PhD or BA and/or MS plus 7+ yrs or equivalent combination of education and work experience
• Expertise in mammalian stable cell line development for protein and/or viral vector production
• Experience with stable gene expression strategies and approaches to modulate expression levels including designing, cloning and testing constructs
• Expertise in mammalian cell culture, molecular biology and viral biology, including adherence to rigorous standards of good lab practices, safety, and documentation
• Experience with flow cytometry
• Independently and proactively design/execute experiments and analyze/interpret data
• Effectively collaborate with individuals across multiple sites and participate on cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, including the ability to clearly convey complex ideas and data, both verbally and written

What will separate you from the crowd

• Experience with automated liquid handlers and high throughput approaches for cell line generation and process development
• Experience with media development and use of additives to enhance productivity or efficiency of cell line development workflow
• Experience using gene editing technologies such as CRISPR and TALEN to engineer cell lines
• Hands on experience with both traditional and current DNA assembly methods such as Gibson, Golden Gate, Gateway, TA and restriction enzymes.

What you should know

• Ability to work in BSL-2 laboratory
• Some weekend and/or off shift work will be required
• Working safely on a predictable and regular basis is an essential job function for this position and the Company requires that all individuals, subject to certain exceptions, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

How we work together

• Lead from every seat - we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
• Thrive as a team - we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
• Make it happen - we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. We cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off, parental leave, short- and long-term disability, financial wellness programs, a 401(k) Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.