Technical Lead, CRISPR Cures Beacon (9611C), Innovative Genomics Institute - #73336

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Departmental Overview

The Innovative Genomics Institute is a joint effort between the Bay Area's leading scientific research institutions, UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, with affiliates at UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Gladstone Institutes, and other institutions. The IGI's diverse group of leading scientists have powerful interdisciplinary expertise. They conduct world-class research, driven by the real possibility of using genome engineering to treat human diseases, end hunger, and respond to climate change.

In addition to our scientific efforts, the IGI is committed to advancing public understanding of genome engineering, providing resources for the broader community, and guiding the ethical use of these technologies.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of the IGI-Danaher Beacon for CRISPR Cures the SRA3 performs experimental work aimed at advancing to first-in-human clinical trials CRISPR-based approaches to treat inborn errors of immunity. Working in close partnership with, and supporting, the effort of physician-scientists leading the nonclinical efforts in the Beacon, the SRA3 is responsible for the design, prosecution, and analysis of experiments assessing the potency, specificity, and biological activity of candidate therapeutic gene editor compositions.

The Innovative Genomics Institute has established a first-in-class academia-industry partnership with Danaher Corporation. Its goal is to develop and advance to the clinic gene-editing-based therapies for two severe inborn errors of the immune system. The SRA3 represents a linchpin position within the nonclinical (IND-enabling) component of the effort in both leading on, and executing, on a range of experiments to establish the efficacy and safety of therapeutic candidate gene editors, and, when scientifically relevant, the design, development, and optimization of assays to assess efficacy/safety.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 10/14/2024.

Responsibilities

• Perform experiments in primary and transformed human cells to assess gene editor efficacy.
• Experimentally identify on a cell-type-by-cell-type basis optimal cell husbandry conditions for gene editing experiments.
• Optimize tissue culture conditions for maximal viability post-gene editor transfer.
• Develop and perform cell phenotyping assays to evaluate physiological consequences of gene editing.
• Isolate cellular material (protein, RNA, DNA) for downstream analytics optimizing for yield and sample integrity.
• Perform experiments in primary and transformed human cells to assess gene editor safety.
• Optimize cell husbandry conditions for dose-response-curve experiments in primary and transformed human cells.
• Develop and deploy cell phenotyping assays to assess on-target engagement following gene editor delivery.
• Isolate nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from gene-edited cell preparations.
• Prepare nucleic acid libraries for off-target assessment.
• Optimize and deploy computational procedures to determine genome/transcriptome-wide consequences of gene editing.
• Assess gene editing outcomes using established cell- and nucleic-acid-based analytical pipelines.
• Following introduction of gene editors into primary and transformed human cells, use cell sorting and, where appropriate, microscopy-based procedures to characterize the cells at the phenotypic level.
• Extract nucleic acids from gene-edited cells and assess gene editing efficiency using NGS, ddPCR, and RT-qPCR methods.
• Design, develop, and prosecute novel analytical procedures to assess gene editing outcomes.
• Identify project-critical analytical endpoints required to address Agency feedback.
• Working closely with project nonclinical leads and analytical core lead, identify suite of assays to be developed to measure these endpoints.
• Iterate on a design-build- test process to reduce the assays to operational practice.
• Supervise junior personnel in prosecution of efficacy/safety/analytical studies.
• On an as- need basis, provide operational guidance on wet-lab and analytical procedures to SRA1/2 team members across all nonclinical functionalities to ensure adherence to project timelines and milestones.
• Prepare and present summaries of experiments performed and resulting data at project team meetings
• Act as the lead technical writer on study reports for regulatory submissions to the FDA CBER.

Required Qualifications

• Direct experience working in a cross-functional team setting developing a gene-editing-based therapeutic for a Mendelian disease, cancer, or infectious disease indication.
• Extensive hands-on experience with mammalian tissue culture, including primary/stem cells.
• Extensive hands-on experience with nucleic-acid-based assays in gene editing space (qPCR, NGS, ddPCR).
• Robust experience with cell phenotyping assays in gene editing space (FACS, microscopy).
• Extensive experience with visualization, analysis, and presentation of results in gene editing space.
• Bachelor of Science in Biology, MCB, BioE, or in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with de novo development and optimization of analytical assays in cell/gene therapy space.
• Experience with laboratory automation as related to high-throughput execution of cell/molecular biological assays.

Salary & Benefits

This is a 100% full-time (40 hrs a week) exempt career position, which is paid monthly and eligible for UC Benefits.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $66,431.27 (Step 1) - $96,791.94 (Step 20).

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

This position is governed by the terms and conditions in the agreement for the Research Support Professionals Unit (RX) between the University of California and the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE). The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/rx/index.html

• This is not a visa opportunity.
• This recruitment has 2 openings.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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