Company:
Sarepta Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of unique RNA-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of rare, infectious and other diseases. The Company is primarily focused on rapidly advancing the development of its potentially disease-modifying DMD drug candidates, including its lead DMD product candidate, eteplirsen, designed to skip exon 51. Sarepta is also developing therapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases, such as drug-resistant bacteria and other rare human diseases.
Job description
The Position:
The Research Biology group at Sarepta Therapeutics is seeking a research associate to support and advance our antisense drug development programs. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly-motivated, organized, and creative individual to play a central role in developing Sarepta's RNA-targeting antisense platform, based on our phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) technology. This position will support research efforts focused on the development of antisense therapeutics for both bacterial infectious diseases and rare genetic diseases.
Under the direction of a Ph.D. Scientist, the successful candidate will be responsible for laboratory-based target discovery and validation efforts, characterization of mechanism of action of oligonucleotides and coordination of projects from target discovery of novel antisense agents through preclinical proof of concept studies. The candidate must demonstrate a strong focus on experimental consistency and accuracy and have the ability to thoughtfully learn, adopt, apply, and optimize new techniques and approaches. The candidate must be able to clearly communicate experimental results to senior-level scientists, management, and other stakeholders verbally, in writing, and by presentation.
Primary responsibilities include:
- Conduct and optimize in vitro assays to characterize antibiotic PMO efficacy, mechanism of action, and cellular uptake in both bacterial and mammalian cells.
- Assist in the development, optimization, and characterization of in vitro mammalian tissue culture models with the goal of providing a platform for screening of therapeutic agents within Sarepta's PMO portfolio.
- Taking an active part in designing and developing new biological and chemical assays/screens by adopting and implementing new laboratory techniques based on scientific literature and collaborations.
- Support laboratory activities by monitoring lab equipment and maintaining a clean and safe working environment.
- Demonstrate excellent communication and presentation skills, a documented ability to troubleshoot technical issues, an ability to plan and carry out experiments independently, and to work with complex instrumentation and software.
- Consistantly and accurately document all lab activities in laboratory notebooks and elsewhere as required and appropriate, in a timely fashion. Candidate will author technical reports as needed and contribute to internal and external publications as appropriate.
- Evaluate data and provide clear reports that can be shared and transferred to and from cross-functional teams; responsible for clear communication in both written and oral forms.
- Pay attention to detail, strictly adhere to safety protocols, and use knowledge of basic laboratory procedures to advance projects under rapidly shifting priorities and timelines.
- Works with the business to develop an effective compliance training program, including appropriate introductory training for new employees as well as ongoing training for all employees and managers.
- Evaluates the performance of the Compliance Program and relates activities on a continuing basis, taking appropriate steps to improve its effectiveness.
Education and Skills Requirements:
- BS or MS (or equivalent degree) in Biological sciences (Cell Biology, Microbiology, molecular biology, Biochemistry, molecular genetics)
- 2+ years post-graduate work experience in academic laboratories, Biotechnology or pharmaceutical industries
- Experience in aseptic mammalian tissue culture techniques and in bacterial cell culture is highly desired.
- Ability to employ a range of cell and molecular biology techniques such as Western blotting, Gibson Assembly-based plasmid construction, RNA, cDNA and genomic DNA preparation, and quantitative PCR.
- Knowledge of immunofluorescence microscopy techniques is preferred.
- Be highly organized and work with great precision and attention to detaill
- Strong written and verbal communication skills are required.
How to Apply:
Online via company website or LinkedIn
Date Advertisement Posted - 02nd December 2015
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