Trutino Biosciences is a research-driven biopharmaceutical company with a mission to restore immuno-balance in cancer patients by developing the next generation cytokine therapies that can safely activate tumor-fighting immune cells at the disease site without causing adverse side effects. Trutino’s proprietary On-Demand-Cytokine (ODC) platform technology enables the design of therapeutic candidates that can be systemically delivered in an inactive form and be locally activated directly at the tumor site, thereby avoiding the extreme toxicity of conventional cytokine therapies, and potentially improving efficacy either as a single agent or in combination with other treatment modalities.
We are seeking a highly motivated Research Scientist with strong protein production and engineering expertise, who can focus on driving innovative, new approaches in drug discovery. The successful applicant will have extensive background in recombinant protein expression and purification methods, protein characterization and protein engineering, and will be responsible for developing and manufacturing novel zytokine (inactive cytokines) and zymokine (inactive chemokines) therapeutic candidates based on Trutino’s On Demand Cytokine Platform technology.
This position requires deep technical knowledge, exceptional communication skills (both written and oral), and the ability to work on and move forward multiple projects simultaneously under minimal supervision. The successful candidate will be a strategic member in a fast-paced, collaborative research setting.
Duties
• Contribute to the design and development of novel recombinant protein therapeutics.
• Design/plan experiments, perform hands-on protein expression, purification, and analytical characterization of therapeutic candidates using standard techniques.
• Perform small to mid-scale expression of recombinant proteins in transient eukaryotic expression systems (mammalian, insect)
• Generate stable expression cell lines using cells such as HEK293 and CHO.
• Protein Purification duties include: preparation and packing of chromatography columns, conducting low endotoxin chromatography, including operating analytical and preparative fast performance and high-pressure chromatography systems.
• Analytical characterization duties include: running SDS-PAGE, endotoxin measurement, protein quantitation assays, FPLC, HPLC, Biacore, analytical SEC analysis.
• Prepare and optimize formulation buffer for protein stability.
• Optimize protein expression and modulate protein function through molecular engineering approaches and the design of protein variants.
• Develop new protocols and troubleshoot existing protocols to optimize protein production/purification process.
• Analyze, summarize, and present experimental results to internal and external scientists, share technical expertise with other colleagues, train and/or supervise other personnel, if needed.
• Stay abreast of current industrial protein expression and purification technologies.
· Publish findings in scientific journals and/or scientific meetings.
Qualifications
• A PhD in Biochemistry, Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related areas and post-doctoral experience of 3+ years is required.
• A minimum of 2-3 years’ experience in recombinant protein engineering, expression and purification in either an academic, institutional or industrial setting.
• Experience with transient expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines such as. Freestyle / Expi293 and CHO cells is required. Experience with other eukaryotic expression systems is a plus.
• Experience with stable cell line generation for protein production is desirable.
• Experience with affinity, IEX, hydrophobic and size-exclusion chromatography is required.
• Extensive hands-on experience in the following areas is required: DNA manipulation and cloning, transformation/transfection, cell culture and analytical protein characterization.
• Demonstrated productivity during graduate and/or post-doc training, with clear evidence of peer-reviewed publications in top tier journals.
• Ability to organize and communicate complex data sets in a clear and concise manner.
• Candidate should be hands-on with a pro-active attitude, a strong team player with excellent oral and written communication skills and with a demonstrated ability to move projects forward and plan next steps with minimal supervision.
Preferred Experience and Skills
• Ability to actively contribute scientifically to immunotherapy drug discovery research programs, including identification and validation of novel targets.
• Review scientific literature and stay abreast of discoveries in immunotherapy field.
• Ability to represent research team and communicate goals/deliverables to senior management
• Experience in mentoring and/or leading PhD level and non-PhD level scientists.
• Industry experience highly preferred.
Trutino Biosciences is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.