Senior Research Associate, Immunology

AskBio Inc., a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to developing life-saving medicines and changing lives. The company maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of neuromuscular, central nervous system, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease indications with a clinical-stage pipeline that includes investigational therapeutics for congestive heart failure, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, multiple system atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and Pompe disease. AskBio’s gene therapy platform includes Pro10™, an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process, and an extensive array of capsids and promoters. With global headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and European headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland, the company has generated hundreds of proprietary capsids and promoters, several of which have entered pre-clinical and clinical testing.

Our vision: Pioneering science to create transformative molecular medicines.

Our mission: Lead innovative science and drive clinical outcomes to transform people's lives.

Our principles:

• Advance innovative science by pushing boundaries. 

• Bring transformative therapeutics to patients in need.  

• Provide an environment for employees to reach their fullest potential.  

Our values:

• Be a Pioneer. We are not afraid of the impossible and to innovate to make gene therapies accessible to those in need.

• Cultivate Collaboration. Strive to be the best teammate, actively listen, openly communicate, and embrace diverse points of view.

• Embrace Responsibility. We are humbled by the enormity of our mission.  We hold a relentless commitment to advance science and clinical outcomes for our patients, families, and caregivers.

• Raise the Bar. Continuously drive improvements and efficiencies. Seek and provide constructive feedback. Have a bias for learning and action.

• Act with Uncompromising Integrity. Be honest, transparent, and committed to doing what’s right in every situation. Make clear commitments and follow through.

Position Summary

The Senior Research Associate, Immunology is one of the key laboratory members who will have an opportunity to contribute to the understanding of AAV Immunogenicity by performing analyses on clinical study samples using immunological assays in support of our gene therapy programs.  The Senior Research Associate will contribute to activities in the lab to drive assay development and validation, real-time immune assessments of clinical studies, as well as clinical sample coordination and management.   This is an excellent opportunity for a candidate who is looking to build his/her experience in Cell Biology and Immunology lab skills as they transition to a larger role in developing, validating and performing more complex assays associated with gene therapy to advance clinical programs.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Immunology, this position is a full-time on-site role located in Philadelphia, PA.

Job Responsibilities

• Performance of complex assays without supervision
• Perform assay development of new clinical assays which may include the optimization, qualification, validation, and troubleshooting of new analytical methods
• Perform data analysis and interpret the results accurately
• Preparation of validation reports and summaries
• Coordinate with Clinical team and/or Immunology lab manager for sample receiving and testing
• Participate in team and clinical program meetings as needed to report results, discuss data and address program needs
• Build and maintain a compliant GxP lab environment and adhere to GLP/GcLP guidelines
• Author standard operating procedures (SOPs) for new assay protocols and use of new laboratory equipment
• Maintain a laboratory notebook or binder with worksheets recording details of performed experiments according to good documentation practices
• Train and mentor Research Associates, contractors, and junior members of the laboratory

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field with 5+ years of experience; or Master’s degree in a related field with 2+ years of experience; or High School Diploma with 9+ years of experience
• Advanced lab skills in cell biology, cell culture, immunology, reagent preparation, and adherence to biosafety and chemical use guidelines
• Familiarity with handling and working with human clinical lab samples
• Familiarity with GCP/GLP/GxP lab standards and practices
• Flexible schedule to accommodate real-time and urgent sample analysis; May include weekend, holiday and after-hours availability
• Advanced office skills using a PC and working with MS office tools (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Must be self-motivated, organized, capable of working independently as well as a team contributor
• Strong oral and written communication skills, particularly in writing technical documents such as SOPs, assay validation plans, reports and clinical sample testing plans and reports
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interact effectively with teams, internally and externally
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision under direct/remote management but also work collaboratively with a broader team and across functional departments 

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills

• Experience in immunoassays such as ELISA, ELISPOT/FluoroSpot, neutralizing antibody, MSD, cytokine release and flow cytometry
• Previous experience with handling clinical lab samples and blood processing workflow
• Experience with LIMS systems (e.g. LabVantage)
• Familiarity with statistical analysis

AskBio Inc. (AskBio) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected status prohibited under Federal, State or local laws. All employment decisions are based on valid job‐related requirements. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our website, you may request a reasonable accommodation to express interest in a specific opening by calling us at (919) 561-6210 or sending us an email at careers@askbio.com.

Agencies:  Please do not contact any employee at AskBio about this requisition.  Any resume submitted by a recruitment agency to any employee at AskBio, through any medium, will be deemed the sole property of AskBio unless the agency was engaged by AskBio Talent Acquisition team to recruit for that position.  All agencies must have a prior executed service agreement with AskBio prior to any search engagement.  If a candidate who was submitted outside of the AskBio agency process is hired by AskBio, no fee or payment of any kind will be paid to the agency.