Senior Research Associate/Scientist I
3 days ago
Seattle
Job DescriptionAbout Outpace BioOutpace Bio is pioneering the future of cell therapy for solid tumors by harnessing unrivaled AI-powered protein design. Our mission is to program immune cells for enhanced function inside patients, overcoming key barriers such as poor tumor access, weak survival, antigen escape, and dose-related toxicity. By creating and integrating modular, plug-and-play technology assets, we are developing cell therapies with unprecedented efficacy, transforming how engineered T cells interact with cancer and the immune system to deliver life-changing outcomes. Our multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, coders, and cell therapy developers works at the cutting edge of computational protein design, synthetic biology, and immunology. Together, we are reimagining how cells function to unlock novel therapeutic possibilities.Located in Seattle’s vibrant biotech hub overlooking scenic South Lake Union, Outpace Bio is led by pioneers in computational protein design and engineered cell therapies. Our culture is built on a foundation of respect and inclusion, which are fundamental to how we collaborate to revolutionize cell therapy through groundbreaking innovation rooted in rigorous science. Our Commitment to DiversityAt Outpace Bio, we believe that the highest performing teams include people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to cultivating an open, diverse, and inclusive culture for all employees. Recognizing that the best candidates do not always match all criteria of the job description, we encourage you to apply if you think you would be a good fit for the role and are inspired by our mission to cure disease by pushing the boundaries of biology. Our MomentumIn August 2024, Outpace Bio secured an oversubscribed $144 million Series B financing, led by RA Capital Management and supported by a premier syndicate of life science investors. This funding accelerates our pipeline of programmed T cell therapies, including our lead candidate OPB-101, a mesothelin-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell enhanced by Outpace’s proprietary OUTSMART™, OUTLAST™, OUTSPACER™, and OUTSAFE™ technologies. OPB-101 is advancing toward IND clearance and first dosing in 2025 for patients with advanced platinum-resistant ovarian cancers. The Series B investment also supports the expansion of our pipeline, enabling us to develop additional transformative therapies leveraging our innovative plug-and-play technology platform. We are seeking a Senior Research Associate or Scientist I to join the viral vector production team at Outpace Bio. In this role, you will apply your scientific training and technical expertise to produce, purify, and characterize lentivirus for our cell and gene therapy applications. Working collaboratively with our Immunology, In vivo, and Cloning teams, you will ensure timely delivery of high-quality viral vectors while contributing to the development of novel viral assays and scale-up process development and improvement. Successful candidates will bring strong technical skills in mammalian cell culture, viral vector systems, viral vector process development, viral downstream purification, and analytical techniques including flow cytometry and molecular quantitation methods. We seek motivated, detail-oriented scientists who can work independently, troubleshoot technical challenges, and optimize protocols to advance our research programs. If you are a collaborative team player with strong problem-solving skills and enthusiasm for translating research into therapeutic impact, you will thrive in our fast-paced startup environment.Responsibilities (Position responsibilities may include, but are not limited to): • Produce and characterize lentivirus supporting multiple Outpace research and pipeline programs, • Design and execute optimization experiments to improve viral titers, purity, and production efficiency, • Support scale-up of lentiviral production for process development and preclinical in vivo studies, • Perform and optimize functional titer and genome quantitation assays (flow cytometry, ddPCR/dPCR), • Contribute to the development of improved upstream and downstream vector production and purification methodologies, • Contribute to experiment design, data analysis, and presentation of results in internal meetings, • Contribute to authoring or reviewing protocols, reports, or regulatory filings.Qualifications (Required):, • Ability to work independently on experimental design, execution, and troubleshooting, • Proficiency in mammalian cell culture and aseptic technique, • Hands-on experience with small-scale lentivirus production (adherent or suspension systems), • Working knowledge of chromatography and filtration principles, downstream bioprocessing, and process scale-up, • Experience operating chromatography systems (AKTA or equivalent), • Experience with filtration operations including UF/DF and depth filtration, • Highly organized with strong attention to detail and data quality, • Ability to learn new protocols quickly and apply critical thinking to problem-solving, • Effective scientific communication skills with ability to discuss results and collaborate with team members, • Experience measuring viral titer by flow cytometry and ddPCR/digital PCR, • Hands-on experience with transfection and transduction protocols, • Experience safely handling lentivirus under BSL-2 conditions, • 3+ years of research experience with mammalian cell culture systemsQualifications (Preferred):, • Master's or PhD in Virology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, Cell Biology, Gene Therapy, or related field; alternatively, Bachelor's degree with substantial position-relevant research experience in academic or industry setting, • Lentivirus process development in suspension culture formats (96-well, 24-well, shake flask, and 1-5L bio-reactor scales), • Downstream viral vector processing including tangential flow filtration (TFF) and chromatography-based purification, • Familiarity with molecular biology techniques including nucleic acid isolation, quantification, and PCR-based methods, • Experience with mammalian cell culture in bioreactor systems, • Experience in a startup or fast-paced biotech setting, • Experience with Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) systems (Benchling), • Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize workflow, meet deadlines, and collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams