Contract Cell Line Development (CLD) Scientist

Keros Therapeutics • Lexington, MA

10d • Onsite

About The Position

At Keros, our mission is to deliver significant clinical benefit to a wide range of patients with disorders that are linked to dysfunctional signaling of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) family of proteins. With a focus on developing differentiated product candidates that are designed to alter TGF-β signaling, we aim to target the pathways critical for the growth, repair and maintenance of blood cells and a number of tissues, including bone, skeletal muscle, adipose and heart tissue. We believe our product candidates have the potential to unlock the full therapeutic benefits of modulating the TGF-β superfamily and provide disease-modifying benefit to patients.
Keros Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative individual to join our protein biochemistry group within our Research Department. Our group exploits multidisciplinary approaches in protein sciences and protein engineering, to better the understanding of the biochemical, biophysical, and structural functional properties of the biomolecules within the TGF-β superfamily that drive the signaling pathway. Our efforts greatly contribute to advance innovative research and drug discovery and heavily support our discovery pipeline.
You will have the opportunity to learn about and contribute to early-stage drug discovery from a protein chemistry perspective as well as through collaboration with other departments. You will play an important role supporting our therapeutic research programs by driving the development, characterization, and optimization of high-performing mammalian production systems, with a core focus on CHO-based cell line development (CLD). You will play a pivotal role in advancing Keros’ clinical biologics pipeline by maximizing recombinant protein and antibodies, as well as other molecules productivity, enhancing product quality, and streamlining process efficiency in this hands-on laboratory position. The successful candidate will act as a technical leader, integrate study results, core scientific principles, and industry best practices to guide clone selection and upstream process design, while being inquisitive about the science, able to troubleshoot by consulting literature/colleagues, and capable of adapting to each scientific challenge.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in biochemistry, chemistry, engineering or a related field with 8+ (Bachelor’s) or 5+ (Master’s) years of industrial experience in cell line development
• Extensive hands-on experience with protein expression in mammalian cells is required
• Strong hands-on experience with CHO cell line development activities is required.
• Experience working with wet lab benchwork, lab etiquette, pipetting, and volumetric handling. Ability to perform chemical stoichiometric calculations and buffer preparation.
• Ability to work as part of a cross-functional team, and independently with supervision.
• Exhibit excellent communication and organization skills, detail-oriented, proficient in MS office, data analysis, and slide presentation.
• Displays a high degree of maturity, honesty, trust, accountability and integrity. Consider a scientific problem/question as an opportunity for innovation and intellectual growth.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with high-throughput cell line development and/or clone screening is highly desirable.
• Experience with mammalian expression in wave bioreactors and/or stirred tank bioreactors is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with protein characterization techniques is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Perform mammalian cell line development activities, including transfection, selection, minipool and clone generation
• Establish efficient and scalable workflows for screening and evaluating cell lines and clones, troubleshooting as needed.
• Develop, optimize and establish high-producing stable cell lines of potential new drug candidates such as recombinant proteins and antibodies
• Design and execute experiments to evaluate cell growth, productivity, stability, metabolic profiles, and product quality
• Contribute to routine mammalian expression of our therapeutic molecules through stable expression in CHO cells to support ongoing studies, as needed
• Perform assays and characterization techniques (SDS-PAGE and SEC-HPLC) to characterize R&D molecules
• Maintain clear, accurate documentation of computational and experimental laboratory work and summarize results as needed in study reports and contribute to documentation of cell line development protocols and workflows.
• Communicate progress, results, and challenges effectively.
• Provide updates at research meetings in both oral and written formats.

Benefits

• Diversity drives innovation
• Inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees
• Holistic approach in mentoring, coaching, and developing all of our Keros team members

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree