Scientist, In-Vivo Large Construct Integration

Neion Bio is harnessing nature’s best molecular factory, the chicken egg, to make medicine affordable, accessible, and resilient. Using cutting edge genetic engineering and stem cell technology, we create “living bioreactors”, which act as fully autonomous 3D biomolecular printers, operating on existing industrial-scale infrastructure. Our platform can rapidly and scalably produce almost any protein, provide national resilience to drug shortages and de-risk complex supply chains, and ultimately take advantage of novel biological environments to solve unmet medical needs. We are on a mission to reimagine the way in which complex biological molecules are produced to transform human health.

At Neion Bio you will play a pivotal role in an early-stage, fast-growing company, working alongside leading scientists and entrepreneurs. You will have the opportunity to participate in the enormous potential upside while having a huge impact on the world.

We are looking for a talented scientist with knowledge and passion for ambitious synthetic biology projects and advanced genome engineering for biomanufacturing in living vertebrates. We will be building tools and methodologies for in-vivo vertebrate genome engineering, and will develop workflows to manipulate large DNA fragments and genomes. You will work with a talented group of engineers and biologists committed to developing disruptive, novel protein production technologies.

We are specifically looking for a scientist experienced with in vivo delivery and integration of multi-Kb transgenes, and experienced with large serine recombinases.

Key Responsibilities:

• Platform development:
• Innovate and iterate on Neion Bio’s transgenic animal platform
• Develop and improve methods for DNA assembly, integration, editing, screening
• Develop and validate novel vertebrate genetic engineering approaches
• Assist in building and optimizing molecular and cellular tools for DNA/RNA delivery and perform high-throughput screens of these tools, including LNPs, VLPs, AAVs, lenti- and adenoviral vectors, electroporation and/or chemical transfection in cell culture, organ explants, live embryos and animals
• Characterize and quantify genome editing events using various molecular assays
• Scientific housekeeping:
• Analyze data, generate figures, report results.
• Present findings at R&D meetings
• Maintain a thorough and detailed electronic lab notebook
• Maintain a clean and organized laboratory environment

Requirements

• PhD/MS in synthetic biology, bioengineering, molecular biology, genetics or related field is required, or 3+ years hands-on expertise in genomic manipulation and cell biology
• Understanding and extensive hands-on experience with current precision editing techniques, covering the design, optimization and verification of edits made with CRISPR-Cas9/HDR and Prime Editing
• Hands-on experience with recombinases and integrases, or other large construct integration methods
• Experience with in-vivo delivery of large payloads for genomic integration
• Experience with avian or mammalian cell culture, DNA/RNA transfection, bacterial culture, recombinant DNA cloning techniques, primer design and PCR, qPCR, gel electrophoresis, nucleic acid extraction and purification
• Self-motivated, proactive, works well under pressure and deadlines, detail-oriented
• Enthusiasm for learning new skills and taking on new responsibilities
• Strong written and oral communication skills, as well as creative problem-solving skills
• Strong emotional intelligence and passion for building relationships across all levels of an organization.
• Enjoys the fast-paced startup environment and teamwork

Preferred Qualifications:

• High throughput screening experience or automation methods
• Experience with viral vector design, optimization and use
• Experience with -omics based analysis of cells culture
• Experience with development of gene therapy tools
• Experience with flow cytometry, immunostaining, and fluorescent microscopy
• Experience with dPCR and/or NGS library preparation

Benefits

Compensation: base salary is expected to be $110-150K depending on experience, with additional bonus compensation, equity compensation, and benefits including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, and 401(k).