Scientist I, Molecular Biology & Protein Expression
South San Francisco
Biologics /
Full-Time /
On-site
Lycia Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company leveraging its lysosomal targeting chimera (LYTAC) platform from Founder and Chemistry Nobel Laureate 2022, Carolyn Bertozzi, to discover and develop first-in-class therapeutics that degrade extracellular and membrane-bound proteins. Lycia’s next generation degraders harness the cell’s endogenous lysosomal trafficking and degradation machinery with the potential to degrade targets previously considered to be intractable, across a spectrum of indications. After raising $105 million in capital in 2021, Lycia is advancing an internal pipeline of novel degraders and has entered a strategic collaboration with Eli Lilly to address key unmet medical needs. Lycia is headquartered in South San Francisco.
The Role:
Lycia Therapeutics is seeking an experienced, motivated, and collaborative Scientist with a background in molecular engineering and a strong background in recombinant protein expression to help us advance our therapeutic platform in protein degradation. The Scientist will join our Biologics department and, as part of the Expression team, will contribute at the front end of our weekly production workflows.
Key Responsibilities:
- Construct designs, routine molecular cloning, and importantly, the on-time expression of recombinant proteins to support the advancement of our pipeline.
- Contribute mammalian expression planning and molecular engineering guidance in our cross-functional research programs.
- Coordinate various protein productions from multiple ongoing CHO bulkpools at up to multi-liter scales.
- Express recombinant proteins in mammalian systems including transient Expi293 and other methods as needed.
- Design and build expression constructs for recombinant protein production in order to meet aggressive timelines.
- Collaborate seamlessly with our Purification team and Antibody Conjugation team to support our pipeline advancement.
- Develop and implement innovative molecular cloning strategies and mammalian expression technologies.
Requirements:
- B.S. plus 10 years of relevant experience in industry — or — Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, or a related field, with 2+ years of relevant experience in industry or academia.
- Industry experience is preferred.
- Experience with CHO bulkpool stable expression for production purposes is critical.
- Experience with cell culture management and transient expression of recombinant proteins in 293 cells is critical.
- Experience in expression construct design rationale and molecular cloning techniques.
- Experience in optimizing constructs to improve protein expression.
- Substantial in-depth knowledge of the relationship between molecular constructs and protein expression, especially for mammalian systems.
- An understanding of downstream CHO cell line development (CLD) work is a strong plus.
- Experience with bacterial recombinant expression is a plus.
- Experience with producing antibodies (mg to g scale) and especially various bispecific antibody formats is highly desirable.
- Experience with SnapGene software will be useful.
- Experience with incorporating high throughput methods into a workflow is a plus.
- Cell culture multi-tasking skills and methodical trouble-shooting capabilities; excellence in on-time, up-to-date record keeping; a necessary enthusiasm for organization; strong communication and inter-personal skills to facilitate interactions with a close-knit inter-disciplinary team.
$115,000 - $130,000 a year
The expected base salary range for this role is $115,000-$130,000k for a Scientist I. We encourage candidates of all levels to apply as there is often flexibility on job title and responsibilities. Compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including experience, qualifications and internal equity. Lycia offers a competitive employment package that includes an annual bonus, equity, and a generous benefits package.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status
