Scientist II, In Vitro Gene Therapy
Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians. If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com.
About Astellas Gene Therapies
Astellas Gene Therapies is an Astellas Center of Excellence developing genetic medicines for patients with rare, life-threatening diseases. Based on our innovative approach to developing genetic medicines, as well as our industry-leading internal manufacturing capability and expertise, we have become the Astellas Center of Excellence for their newly created Genetic Regulation Focus Area. We are currently exploring three gene therapy modalities: gene replacement, exon skipping gene therapy, and vectorized RNA knockdown, with plans to expand our focus and geographic reach under Astellas. We are based in San Francisco, with manufacturing and laboratory facilities in South San Francisco and Sanford, North Carolina. For more information, please visit our website: www.astellasgenetherapies.com.
The Role:
As a member of Systems Biology team, the Scientist II will have important roles including creation of new platforms related to in vitro studies with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived 2D/3D models, conducting experiments for preclinical programs, and supporting other team members through management of outsourcing activities and internal/external collaborations.
Responsibilities:
Establishes in-house capability to conduct in vitro studies with iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and cardiac 3D models (e.g., engineered heart tissue, heart organoid) by developing differentiation protocols and methodologies for analyzing their features. Designs key experiments with iPSC-derived models based on reviews of scientific literature and recent advances in related fields. Supports ongoing and upcoming programs by conducting in vitro experiments with iPSCs and iPSC-derived models as follows: differentiating iPSCs into neuronal and the other types of cells as needed, in-house screening of capsids and AAV constructs, in vitro PoM/PoC studies, potency assays, and genome editing of iPSCs. Develop semi- and fully automation protocols for differentiation and in vitro assays with iPSC-derived models through internal collaborations. Manages outsourced activities and internal/external collaborations. Supervise/train research associate(s) and other scientist(s) for in vitro studies with iPSC-derived models. Prepares and communicates presentations including scientific strategy of programs, data, and data interpretation to audiences at varying levels of knowledge and expertise. Flexibility to perform unanticipated duties as assigned or special projects as needed.