Scientist I, Immunology

Company: Astellas
Location: South San Francisco
Posted on: September 6, 2021

Job Description:

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.

Xyphos Biosciences, an affiliate of Astellas Pharma Inc. is developing a novel adoptive cell therapy technology platform and building a pipeline of innovative products.

We are a rapidly growing team of research and scientific professionals, passionate about turning science and innovation into medical solutions through our cell therapy technology platform. Through our diversity, scientific knowledge, professional rigor and focus on innovation, we are merging our technology with the Astellas drug development expertise to unlock cures to many therapies. Join our team of committed, enthusiastic professionals devoted to making the most effective, life-saving cell therapy products in the world.

Astellas is announcing a Scientist I, Immunology opportunity at their Xyphos site in South San Francisco, CA.

Purpose:

The primary purpose of the Scientist I is to support discovery efforts for novel chimeric antigen receptor adoptive cell therapies for treatment of cancer. This position will work primarily in a laboratory setting with R&D teams.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

* Performs hypothesis-driven research in a fast-paced work environment to develop more potent adoptive cell therapies * Designs and executes immunology and immuno-oncology assays to evaluate CAR-T cell and CAR-NK cell products * Contributes to implementation of convertibleCAR platform for different targets and modalities * Articulates experimental plans, presents research findings in meetings, works effectively in a cross-functional team, and collaborates with other members of Astellas R&D teams * Strong team-oriented mentality exemplified by willingness to take on tasks and responsibilities as needed to facilitate advancement of a wide variety of programs

Qualifications:

Required:

* PhD in immunology, immuno-oncology, cancer biology, or closely related field with 0-3 years of industry and/or post-doctoral experience * Strong background in T cell and/or NK cell biology * Solid understanding of tumor micro-environment and its impact on the effectiveness of adoptive cell therapies * Hands-on experience in multi-parameter flow cytometry (8+ channels) and immune cell functional assays with readouts for cytotoxicity, proliferation, cytokine secretion, activation * Proficiency in data analysis software (e.g. FlowJo, GraphPad) * Demonstrated excellence in critical thinking and problem-solving skills * Excellent communication and interpersonal skills * Ability to work independently in the lab, attention to detail in experimentation and timely record keeping * Strong work ethic with a passion for working in a fast-paced, dynamic and diverse work environment * Candidates must be authorized to work in the US.

Preferred:

* Industry experience (work, post-doc, internship), especially in adoptive cell therapy field * Familiarity with sample preparation and data analyses for transcriptomic and/or epigenetic profiling (NanoString, RNASeq, ATACSeq) * Experience in engineering immune cells -- lentiviral transduction or other forms of gene delivery, e.g. CRISPR, transposon, nanoparticle, and RNP-mediated deliveries * Familiarity with antibody drug candidate assessment * Hands-on experience with multiplex cytokine measurement methods or ELISA

Benefits:

* Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance * Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation and Sick time, plus national holidays including year-end shut down * 401(k) match and annual company contribution * Company paid life insurance * Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions * Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions * Referral bonus program

Astellas is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment. EOE including Disability/Protected Veterans

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Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Protected Veterans/Disabled

Keywords: Astellas, South San Francisco , Scientist I, Immunology, Other , South San Francisco, California