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Keeler-Klunk lab in gene therapy center is seeking a highly motivated scientist with expertise in immunology or genome engineering, to join our cutting-edge laboratory focused on developing potent CAR Treg based therapies for neurological and hepatic disorders and assessing immune response to gene editing based therapeutics delivered as AAV or LNPs. Postdoctoral Associate will be responsible for designing CAR Tregs for modulating immune responses to gene therapies for diseases affecting neurological and hepatic disorders. Postdoctoral associate will also run assays to assess editing outcomes and assess immune response to gene editing reagents. This position offers a unique opportunity exposed to cutting edge translational research intersection of immunotherapy and gene editing technologies with the potential to make a significant impact on patient outcomes.

Qualifications- The ideal candidate must have a Ph.D. in Basic Science, Health Science, or a related field with an interest in working in translational science. Experience in cell culture, basic molecular biology skills, immunology assays, gene editing and gene therapy is preferred. Experience with designing mouse experiments is desirable.

Job Duties

• Collaborates with team members to develop and refine genome editing strategies for in vivo editing and immune modulation using CAR Tregs.
• Designs and executes experiments to evaluate the safety and efficacy of genome-edited cells and mouse models and assesses efficacy of therapeutics.
• Assesses the functionality of engineered cells and evaluates their therapeutic potential both in vitro and in vivo that includes designing CRISPR-Cas targeting strategies, analyzes editing outcomes on a molecular level using next gen sequencing and ddPCR and conducts functional assays such as cytotoxicity assays, ELISPOT, ELISA and cytokine release assays.
• Generate mRNA and Lipid nanoparticles, lentiviruses and retroviruses for different indications.
• Performs histological analysis to perform phenotypic assessment of editing outcomes.
• Analyzes experimental data and interprets results.
• Applies statistical methods to analyze data from experiments, that includes next-generation sequencing data, flow cytometry data, and functional assay results.
• Communicates findings effectively through presentations in lab meetings, national conferences and scientific publications
• Contributes to the preparation of grant proposals and scientific publications.

Interested applicants should write a cover letter explaining their interest in the research project, copy of their CV and contact information of three references and send their applications to Dr Allison Keeler.Allison.Keeler@umassmed.edu

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