Scientist / Senior Scientist, Cell Therapy

The Company

Link Cell Therapies was launched by founders Robbie Majzner (Dana Farber Cancer Institute) and Crystal Mackall (Stanford) in partnership with investors Samsara BioCapital and Sheatree Capital.

The company is developing a best-in-class logic-gate technology to spur a new generation of cell therapies for patients with solid tumors.

Link’s AND gates require two cancer-associated targets for a CAR T cell to attack cancer cells, thereby providing specificity for killing of tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue.

Combined with additional technologies under development, Link will advance a suite of exciting internal therapeutic programs while exploring opportunities for value creation with strategic partners.

Job Description

Link Cell Therapies is looking for a highly collaborative and motivated Scientist or Senior Scientist to join our Cell Therapy team.

Reporting to the VP of Cell Therapy, the successful applicant will be part of a multidisciplinary team that is characterizing and optimizing one of the company’s core platforms : Logic-gated Intracellular Network (LINK) CAR.

Within this role, they will work on understanding core biology of the platform with viral generation, transduction of human T cells, and functional assays involving cytotoxicity, flow cytometry, and long-term persistence.

They will assist in running screens for the first LINK programs, presenting data across functional groups, and completing IND-enabling studies.

This is an opportunity to join an exciting new start-up during the discovery phase and to follow our programs throughout research pipeline advancement and into clinical studies.

Responsibilities

• Support early discovery activities for our first and second LINK platform assets
• Assist in the testing and characterization of novel synthetic receptors that will support the development of next-generation programs for our company platforms
• Perform in vitro IND-enabling studies for our first LINK program
• Contribute to the conception and design of in vivo studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LINK CARs
• Generate data packages that follow strong research principles and support pipeline decisions
• Maintain an updated electronic laboratory notebook and present findings to leadership

Preferred Qualifications

PhD in a relevant field (e.g. Biology, Synthetic Biology, Immunology) with 0-7 years of relevant experience; MS with 5+ years' experience;

BS with 8+ years' experience.

• Hands-on experience working with human T cells (culture, transduction, and expansion), T cell characterization assays (killing, phenotype, cytokine secretion) and multicolor Flow Cytometry (acquisition and analysis)
• Experience with automation of primary T cell workflows and with the development of preclinical Cell Therapy programs is a plus
• Self-motivator with strong organizational skills and a willingness to learn

This is an on-site position based in South San Francisco, CA.

The salary range for this position is $115,000 USD to $175,000 USD annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the Company’s compensation practices.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.