JOB DESCRIPTION
Role: 2 Positions Assay Scientist/ Senior Assay Scientist
Location: Stevenage
Reports to: Chief Scientific Officer
Duration: Permanent
Hours:
Full Time
General Purpose and Scope
Avacta Life Sciences are developing Affimers as an antibody mimetic platform. Affimers are a novel
protein scaffold based on the human protease inhibitor Stefin A. We aim to establish Affimers as a
therapeutic scaffold to support the growing demand for the next generation of biotherapeutics that
will be superior to the current market leader, monoclonal antibodies. We have recently raised £22M
for the therapeutic development of Affimers and signed a significant deal with Moderna Therapeutics.
We are currently based at the Stevenage Biosciences Catalyst and are actively looking to expand the
team to support the development of our own proprietary Affimer based product pipeline focussing on
oncology and inflammatory diseases.
We require a highly motivated Assay Scientist/Cell biologist who has had previous experience of
working on screening and characterising protein fragment technologies or antibodies for therapeutic
applications in either the academic or biotech sector. Your role will be to setup and develop a range
of cell based/binding assays to support Affimer screening, characterise our lead molecules for
biological functionality and to support our pre-clinical assay development/cell biology needs.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
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Design, develop and validate assays including sandwich ELISA, receptor binding and cell-based
activity assays to investigate/characterise target based binding of Affimers (e.g. for epitope
mapping , affinity measurements and biological responses)
Perform routine cell and biochemical techniques, cell-based assays, and cell line analysis
Perform functional cell assays (e.g. survival, proliferation, apoptosis, cytokine secretion, cell
signalling)
Maintain primary, transient and stable mammalian cell lines
Isolate specific cell types from human peripheral blood to be used in assays
Developing and validate assays to quantify Affimer levels in sera to determine the in vivo
pharmacokinetics of our molecules
Present work/data to clients and writing scientific reports
Maintaining a current and accurate laboratory record (lab notebook) of all activities
This job description is not exhaustive and you may be required to undertake other duties that are in
line with the above responsibilities.
Essential skills and previous experience
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A BSc/PhD in cell or molecular biology focusing on immunology or oncology
SF0018 (Ver01)
JOB DESCRIPTION
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A minimum of 2-4 years’ laboratory experience of working with and developing assays for
therapeutic protein scaffolds or antibodies
Being able to demonstrate a strong ability to develop target binding (e.g. RBA, ELISA, Alphascreen and HTRF) and phenotypic based assays (phosphorylation, cell proliferation etc.) using a
range of techniques (e.g. Western blot, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and IHC)
Experience of isolating, working with and maintaining primary cell lines in culture
Being able to carry out mammalian transfections with plasmid DNA and maintain transient or
stable mammalian cell lines
Previous experience of molecular biology or small scale protein expression and purification would
be an advantage but is not essential
Motivated self-starter who can work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic team
environment with a conscientious attitude and enthusiasm
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with the ability to interpret complex data
Organised with an ability to work well under pressure and to challenging timelines
Benefits
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Pension Scheme: up to 5% matching contributions
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Eye Care Scheme
Childcare Voucher Scheme
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Performance Related Share Option Scheme
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25 days holiday in addition to bank holidays
To apply for this position please forward your CV with a covering letter to HR@avacta.com
SF0018 (Ver01)