Principal Scientist (Cell Line Development)
About The Position
Every Exelixis employee is united in an ambitious cause: to launch innovative medicines that give patients, and their families hope for the future. In this pursuit, we know our employees are our most valuable asset. After operating in the challenging biotech sector for 25 years, we have a proven track record of resiliency in the face of adversity. The success of our lead product has provided a solid commercial foundation allowing us to reinvigorate our research efforts and grow our team in areas such as Drug Discovery, Clinical Development and Commercial. As we expand our global partnerships and further reinvest in R&D to help us discover the next breakthrough for difficult-to-treat cancers, we’re seeking to add talented, dedicated employees to power our mission. Cancer is our cause. Make it yours, too. SUMMARY/JOB PURPOSE: As a member of the Biotherapeutics group, the incumbent will play a key role in supporting the group’s discovery and preclinical development efforts by possessing skills and experience in recombinant antibody and bispecific antibody production and purification/characterization. The incumbent will be responsible for delivering high performing and high-quality mammalian cell lines that enable early-phase biologics manufacturing for further development as potential therapeutic candidates or as ADCs. The ideal candidate will design and test vector constructs, engineer host cells, conduct transfection, selection and clone generation campaign in CHO cells, and apply a deep theoretical understanding of recombinant protein expression to guide the improvement of titer in stable cell lines.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in related scientific discipline such as molecular biology, biochemistry, biology or microbiology and a minimum of eleven (11) years of experience in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry; or, Master’s degree in related scientific discipline such as molecular biology, biochemistry, biology or microbiology and a minimum of nine (9) years of experience in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry. PhD degree in related scientific discipline such as molecular biology, biochemistry, biology or microbiology and a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry.
- Demonstrated proficiency in molecular biology, vector construction and genetic elements that impact recombinant antibody/bispecific expression.
- Experience with various stable CHO expression platforms to articulate pros and cons and recommend one suitable for developing manufacturing cell lines.
- Well versed in transfection methodologies as well as screening and selection workflows.
- Deep understanding about regulatory requirements with respect to demonstrating monoclonality.
- Experience in culturing CHO cells in different formats such as shake flasks, spin tubes, and deep-well plate fed-batch processes.
- Experience in single cell cloning and imaging technologies to prove monoclonality.
- Experience in running titer determination and standard downstream product quality assessments.
- Author and review cell line development reports, summaries and presentations
- Solid understanding of mammalian protein/antibody expression, structure, and activity
- Ability to set goals with an understanding of priorities and impact to program, the department and the organization.
- Strong communication, organization, and documentation skills
- Ability to design and execute activities/studies aimed at producing and characterizing recombinant antibodies and bispecifics, to interpret experimental results, and to formulate conclusions and next-steps based on the data generated.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in Ambr fed-batch processes is a plus.
- Experience in analytical techniques such as HPLC, LC/MS, and/or CE is a plus.
- Familiarity with automation platforms and data analysis tools is a plus.
- Prior experience with electronic laboratory notebook documentation and workflow management is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Design and execute experiments to develop CHO-based cell lines for biologic therapeutics moving into clinical development.
- Perform therapeutic CHO cell line development processes including transfection, single cell cloning, imaging analysis to document monoclonality, clone screening and progression, characterization, and cell banking and stability assessment of cell banks using state-of-the-art equipment
- Drive innovation through the development of improved expression vectors and genetic components, host cell line engineering and/or cell line development process optimization
- Identify emerging practices for biologics therapeutic cell line development and manufacturing to shape scientific strategies and continued innovation
- Represent the cell line development team on cross-functional projects, making decisions for cell line activities and effectively communicating results, progress and plans
- Comply with company health and safety policies and general laboratory practices.
Benefits
- a 401k plan with generous company contributions
- group medical, dental and vision coverage
- life and disability insurance
- flexible spending accounts
- discretionary annual bonus program
- opportunity to purchase company stock
- long-term incentives
- 15 accrued vacation days in their first year
- 17 paid holidays including a company-wide winter shutdown in December
- up to 10 sick days throughout the calendar year
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
