Senior Research Associate, Gene Editing

About the role

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who want to challenge status quo, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. As a Senior Research Associate, you will create Sana cell therapeutics. You will use the latest cell engineering methods to create desired cell types by targeted genetic alteration. You will be an essential member of the team and will perform high-throughput screening and lead development of gene editing reagents. Reporting to the Principal Scientist, Cell Engineering, you will also work with research program teams and cross-functional groups throughout the company to design and engineer cells to meet therapeutic program goals. This work will require experience in cell culture, gene editing, molecular biology and excellent collaboration.

What you'll do

• Implement strategies to produce engineered cells through standard techniques including gene editing, homology directed repair (HDR), viral transgenesis and clonal cell expansion
• Perform genomic and functional assays to confirm engineering of desired cell lines including amplicon sequencing, western-blotting, ELISA, flow-cytometry, ddPCR and other molecular detection techniques
• Use DNA sequencing methods and analysis pipelines to measure gene editing efficiencies
• Use automated liquid-handling and imaging to aid in the culturing and tracking of clonal cell cultures and molecular biology workflows
• Work with other scientists and automation engineers to coordinate cell engineering efforts and complete projects
• Maintain excellent electronic lab notebook records of protocols, experimental details and draft SOPs
• Participate in team meetings and provide regular oral and written communication on projects and milestones to relevant project team

What we're looking for

• Bachelor's degree in biology, cell biology, biochemistry, biotechnology or related plus 4 years or master's degree with 1-2 years or equivalent combination of education and work experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry
• Cell culture experience and aseptic technique
• Experience modifying cellular genomes with CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing or equivalent and lentiviral transduction to introduce target payloads
• Experience with molecular biology including PCR, RT-qPCR, restriction digest/ligation, Gibson/Golden Gate assembly, plasmid prep, SPRI cleanup
• Experience evaluating genomic modification by sequencing and analysis (ex: Sanger sequencing and ICE analysis)

What will separate you from the crowd

• Excellent cell culture aseptic techniques working with primary and immortalized cell lines
• Experience with Zinc Finger Nucleases, CRISPR/Cas, TALENS, Transposases and delivery into cells
• Experience with western-blotting, flow-cytometry, ELISA, imaging
• Experience with automated liquid handling or high-content imaging instruments
• Experience with NGS library preparation and sequencing
• Experience with Lentiviral production and BSL2+ work
• High-throughput screening experience
• Detail oriented, flexible and able to contribute to several fast-paced projects concurrently
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills

What you should know

• Working safely in person on a predictable and regular in-person basis is an essential job function for this position, and the Company requires that all individuals working in-person be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including receipt of a vaccine booster shot if recommended by the CDC

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. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off, parental leave, short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance,  additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, 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, social class (including caste/caste identity), 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.