Job Description
What We are Looking For
Vivere Oncotherapies is an early-stage life sciences company driving the next generation of solid cancer treatment. We are looking for a Research Associate / Senior Research Associate to join our growing company and be a critical member of our scientific team. As a Research Associate on the non-clinical development team, the selected candidate will conduct in vivo animal studies to advance these therapies from discovery to the clinic.
Key Responsibilities
● Execute in vivo animal studies to develop oncolytic viral vectors and assess efficacy and safety.
● Perform animal research procedures including tumor implantation (s.c., i.p., orthotopic), dosing (i.v., i.p., s.c., intratumoral), blood collection, necropsy with full tissue harvest.
● Measuring body weight and tumor burden (calipers, luminescent or fluorescence).
● Maintain and culture mammalian cell lines for in vivo tumor implantation, and tissue processing for viral vector amplification.
● Prepare materials for in vivo experiments.
● Conduct wet lab experiments and analyze data: virus titration, immunoassay, flow cytometry, qPCR.
● Comply with animal welfare standards and institutional protocols and management of documentation and samples.
● Order and maintain animals, materials, consumables, and equipment for wet lab and in vivo studies.
● Assist in routine manufacturing for in vivo studies, including mammalian cell culture, viral vector amplification/purification, and analysis as needed.
● Maintain accurate and well-organized experimental records, including electronic laboratory notebooks and animal study workflow softwares.
● Commit to building and maintaining a company culture that promotes inclusivity, teamwork, strong work ethic, critical thinking, and innovation.
Required Qualifications
● A B.S. or M.S. degree holder in animal science, molecular biology, immunology, or a related field
● Minimum 2+ years of experience conducting in vivo animal studies and wet lab experiments.
● Strong background in basic animal handling and techniques: monitoring, identification (ear tagging), tumor measurement, blood sampling, necropsy, and organ/tumor sample collection.
● Experience in mammalian cell culture, flow cytometry, immunoassay (ELISA), plaque assay, Nucleic acid isolation, and qPCR.
● Ability to support IACUC submissions, study design, data analysis, and document and sample management with strong organizational skills.
● Efficient working knowledge of operational and scientific software programs, including Benchling, FlowJo, Graphpad Prism, and animal study workflow softwares.
● Excellent work ethic, flexibility, and collaborative mindset.
● Excellent communication skills (both written and oral) with ability to present ideas, information, and data effectively.
● Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. and able to work onsite at our Alameda- based (75%) and Berkeley-based (25%) labs.
Preferred Qualifications
● Prior experience in in vivo studies using preclinical tumor models, cardiac perfusion, anesthesia, and handling viral vectors is strongly preferred.
What You’ll Receive by Joining Us
● Opportunity for Growth: You will be an early employee at a rapidly growing and transformative biotech start-up company.
● Mentorship and Collaboration: You will have daily contact and collaboration with leading oncology, immunotherapy, and virology experts
● Unparalleled Working Environment: As an employee of a Bakar Labs tenant company, you will work at the heart of the UC Berkeley ecosystem, providing exclusive access to cutting-edge resources and some of the greatest entrepreneurial and scientific minds in the world.
● Impactful Mission: Your work will directly contribute to bringing new treatments to cancer patients.
● Comprehensive Benefits: Medical/dental/vision, retirement, paid time off, generous holiday schedule, and stock options.
Who We Are
Vivere Oncotherapies’ mission is to revolutionize gene therapy delivery to unlock the full potential of immunotherapy for cold, solid tumors.
Vivere Oncotherapies is developing best-in-class, IV-administered oncotherapy products with improved delivery, efficacy, and safety for the treatment of solid cancers using our proprietary discovery platform. Our experienced leadership team is applying our powerful protein engineering platform to generate improved delivery vehicles that can selectively replicate within tumors, mediate multi-tumor antigen targeting by immune cells, and express multiple cargoes that overcome the immunosuppressive environment of cold tumors. We are on a bold mission to provide solutions to patients with immunologically cold, solid tumors for which there are not effective standards of care.
Our team consists of leaders in the oncology, immunotherapy, and gene therapy fields from academia and industry. We are backed by top-tier life sciences investors and an STTR grant from the National Institutes of Health.
We value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws.
We do not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies or other third parties and will not pay fees associated with such resumes.
