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Research Associate I / II - Molecular Biology and Yeast Engineering

Employer
Abalone Bio
Location
Emeryville, California, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Aug 2, 2021

View more

Sector
Academic / Research
Field
Informatics / GIS
Discipline
Biology
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
Job Description
About Abalone Bio

Abalone Bio is a San Francisco Bay Area, preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody drugs for G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels and other membrane protein targets. We are developing our own therapeutics as well as partnering with pharmaceutical companies to discover drug candidates for their targets.

At the core of our company is a functional antibody discovery platform comprising a synthetic biology-powered cell-based enrichment component and an NGS-powered computational selection component. We directly search for antibodies that can modulate the function of receptor targets, rather than first finding binders and then screening that subset for function. We find ultra-rare antibodies that have unique functional properties that enable us to address previously untreatable diseases.

Weve used our platform to develop a panel of novel anti-inflammatory antibody drug candidates that we are testing in a variety of animal disease models, and are developing candidates for other previously undruggable target receptors.

Who are we looking for?

Abalone Bio is seeking a collaborative and highly motivated Research Associate to join our team to advance and support our core functional antibody discovery and development activities. The successful candidate will work with our R&D team to optimize and execute Abalone Bios yeast-based antibody discovery technology platform and to identify, optimize, and characterize antibody drug candidates. This is an opportunity to have a direct impact on previously untreatable diseases by discovering and developing rare functional antibody drugs.

Responsibilities:
  • Incorporate drug target receptors into our discovery platform and optimize for antibody discovery
  • Design, construct, and characterize antibody libraries
  • Perform yeast cell-based selections for functional antibodies and characterize hits
  • Generate and analyze NGS data for identification of functional antibody hits
  • Produce recombinant antibodies in E. coli, yeast and/or mammalian cells
  • Develop mammalian cell-based assays to characterize lead antibodies
  • Contribute to lab operations

Qualifications/Experience

Required:
  • BS/BA or MS degree in molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology or a related field
  • 1 or more years of hand-on experience designing and executing experiments (outside of the classroom)
  • Strong background in molecular biology and recombinant DNA technology

Areas of expertise:

Required skills and experience:
  • Culturing and engineering microbes
  • Generation of DNA constructs (e.g. by Gibson assembly, CRISPR, yeast homologous recombination), including utilization of DNA software
  • Hands-on troubleshooting experiments

Bonus skills and experience:
  • Data analysis using R, Python or similar shell-scripting computational tools
  • Antibody discovery and engineering (phage or yeast surface display; antibody library design and construction; design, production and purification of antibody variants)
  • Recombinant protein purification and analysis
  • Mammalian cell culture and engineering
  • Yeast and mammalian cell-based assays, microscopy, and flow cytometry
  • Biochemical assays (e.g. ELISAs and other plate-based assays)
  • Bioinformatics, NGS sequencing and analysis

We are looking for someone who:
  • Is enthusiastic and self-driven
  • Relates well and productively with others
  • Thrives in a dynamic and demanding startup atmosphere
  • Has excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Loves handling multiple projects; manages time and prioritizes well, and keeps careful records

Someone aligned with our core values:
  • Empathy -- Listen actively, assume goodness
  • Collaboration -- Solve problems together
  • Honesty -- Be sincere and open
  • Kindness -- Be generous and considerate
  • Gratefulness -- Value the opportunity to do good
  • Continuous improvement -- Become a little better every day

What do we offer?

Compensation

Compensation commensurate with qualifications, including competitive salary, stock options, health, dental and vision coverage, and a retirement plan.

Location

Our facilities are in Emeryville (East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area).

Environment

The Research Associate will join a 9 person cross-functional R&D team. At least weekly, the full team discusses experimental results, future plans and priorities.

Founders/managers regularly hold one-on-one meetings to hear every team members concerns and thoughts, discuss and set clear expectations, and provide constructive feedback.

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