» Research Scientist

Our client is currently seeking a Research Scientist for a 12 month contract.

Role Summary:
· Contribute to the capability to run projects to support the discovery of antibody drugs using hybridoma technology.
· Conduct fusions and carry out tissue culture to obtain hybridomas from immunisations
· Contribute to the cloning, maintenance, storage and culture of hybridoma clones
· Isolate and characterise V/D/J region genes from Hybridoma clones using PCR to assess antibody output diversity.
· Reformat, characterise and express recombinant IgG from Hybridoma sources.
· Work with a variety of technologies and laboratory automation to maximise efficiency
· Analyse results and compile data summaries for project meetings, patents and publications.
· Contribute to project progression through the introduction and operation of primary assays to identify antigen specific antibodies from hybridoma supernatants.
· Run screens and conduct assays for secondary characterisation of active antibodies (e.g. IC50 determination, lead profiling) from hybridoma sources.
· Work with a variety of assay formats, detection technologies and laboratory automation to maximise efficiency
· Communicate results, conclusions and recommendations to colleagues, team meetings and external collaborators.
· Contribute to the development of drug discovery capabilities
· Acquire and maintain relevant technical and intellectual expertise in assays, antibodies and disease biology.
· Carry out fusions to produce hybridomas; use tissue culture techniques to culture and clone hybridomas.
· Test candidate antibodies for activity and characterise their properties through a variety of assay systems designed to identify their nature and appropriate biological activity
· Use appropriate detection and liquid handling technologies to meet project needs for data quality and throughput
· Retrieve human V genes from Hybridoma clones using appropriate molecular biological methods and sub-clone for further investigation.
· Use appropriate microbiological methods to isolate, amplify, analyse, sequence and reformat human V genes into vectors, capable of expressing full length recombinant IgG molecules.
· Construct, maintain, store, grow and characterise plasmid expression vectors.
· Transfect mammalian cell lines with expression vectors and isolate and maintain clones.
· Design, implement, analyse, interpret and record experiments to achieve project goals with minimal supervision
· Participate in the development of new techniques
· Support project needs through assistance with sample testing and data processing as necessary
· Contribute to the drafting of new procedures
· Grow and maintain hybridoma clones to mid to large scale
· Purify antibodies from hybridoma supernatants using a range of chromatography methods.

Qualifications:
· First degree, HND/HNC or equivalent qualification in biological sciences
· May have PhD in biology, with strong protein chemistry or relevant subject with strong assay component

Experience:
· Candidates should have experience of developing and implementing high quality immunological, biochemical or cellular assays, ideally in a pharmaceutical or comparable environment.
· Candidates should have had experience in the purification and handling or purified antibodies at laboratory scale and familiarity with automation.
· Candidates need to have demonstrable tissue culture experience preferentially generating and maintaining hybridomas.
· Candidates should have some experience of standard laboratory molecular biology methods (such as PCR).

Knowledge/Skills:
Must have a range of skills that can be applied to hybridoma generation and maintenance, drug discovery and evaluation. These may include:
· Tissue culture skills (essential)
· Molecular biology skills
· Cell based assays
· Ligand / receptor interaction
· Use of robotics for assays and / or sample handling
· High throughput screening
· Secondary characterisation of actives (e.g. IC50 determination, lead profiling)
· Computing and database skills
· Data processing, analysis and interpretation

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | Hourly rate: £neg.
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