Senior Scientist I/II, Parallel Synthesis, Medicinal Chemistry

About Alltrna

Alltrna is the world’s first tRNA platform company to decipher tRNA biology and pioneer tRNA therapeutics to treat thousands of diseases. Alltrna unlocks tRNA biology to correct disease. The company's platform incorporates AI/ML tools to learn the tRNA language and deliver diverse programmable molecules with broad therapeutic potential. Alltrna has an unprecedented opportunity to advance a single tRNA medicine to unify treatment across a wide range of diseases with the same underlying genetic mutation. Alltrna was founded in 2018 by Flagship Pioneering. For more info, visit www.alltrna.com.

About The Role 

Alltrna is seeking a highly motivated and talented Sr. Research Associate/Research Associate to join our growing Cell & Organismal Biology Group. The successful candidate will have demonstrated strong hands-on experience in cell engineering and molecular biology to support human disease modeling and cellular PK/PD studies. If you like a fast-paced, science driven research environment discovering how a new therapeutic modality can be shaped to meet the needs of patients suffering from serious underserved diseases- this is the role for you.

 Core Responsibilities

• Drive the Cell Engineering (gene-editing) strategy, design, perform, and validate experiments that support a various research projects and therapeutic programs
• Maintain, culture and perform quality control testing of mammalian cells and primary cells
• Design and production of cell engineering tools such as DNA constructs, gRNAs (CRISPR), and lentiviruses, etc.
• Develop, optimize, and execute robust cellular and biochemical assays to support hid-to-lead and lead optimization
• Performe assay optimization, qualification, validation, and cellular PK/PD studies in patient derived cells
• Preparation of experimental method description  and validation of results in electronic lab notebook; analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data to various stakeholders
• Presentation of scientific progress and results through oral and written communications

Qualifications and Skills 

• PhD in biology, cell biology, molecular biology, or a related discipline with 0-3+ years of experience, BS or MS with 7-10+ years of experience in Biotech or pharmaceutical company
• Hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques (plasmid construction, cloning, and sequence analysis) and stable cell line generation required

• Extensive experience in mammalian cell culture, including primary cells (e.g., patient fibroblasts and primary hepatocytes) and cell line characterization (growth curve, kill curve, clonal expansion, mycoplasma test, etc.)

• Experience in cell biology with demonstrated proficiency in a broad range of molecular techniques, including immunofluorescence, bioluminescence,, qPCR, WB, ELISA, flow cytometry, etc.
• Ability to follow laboratory procedures with attention to detail, and successfully execute experiments at the bench
• Highly organized and collaborative work style; ability to maintain detailed documentation in an electronic lab notebook.
• Working in a fast-paced small company environment with reasonable direction and being able to adjust workload based upon changing priorities

The preferred candidate will ideally also possess the following skills:

• Previous experience in disease specific cellular assay development and execution

• Proficiency with image-based assay development (fluorescence and confocal microscopy, High-content imaging, IncuCyte) and image data analysis is a plus

• • Previous experience in human pluripotent stem cell (iPSC, ESC) is preferred

What We’ll Offer You

• Comprehensive, competitive healthcare and dental coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield, vision coverage through VSP, family leave, paid time off, 401k retirement plan, disability and life insurance, and fully covered parking/commuter benefits.
• A dynamic early-stage work environment and highly interdisciplinary, talented, and collaborative team.
• Participation in an unprecedented opportunity to advance a single tRNA medicine to restore disrupted protein production, regardless of target, for thousands of diseases with the same underlying genetic mutation.
• Professional growth opportunities through mentoring, training, immersion in cross-functional projects, and opportunities to learn and try new things.
• Daily on-site snacks, cold brew coffee, and Bevi, as well as weekly catered lunches.
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