The Gene Therapy Accelerator Unit (GTxAU) at Biogen is seeking an innovative, committed, and enthusiastic scientist to contribute to the generation of gene therapy technologies that can accelerate the development of future clinical candidates for neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.

Scientist I/II, Gene Therapy - Cargo Engineering will work collaboratively with a cross-function team and has high growth potential. The goal of this role is to create innovative solutions to critical technological challenges in gene therapy cargo design and to support the current gene therapy pipeline. The incumbent will be part of a team focused on cargo engineering. The ideal candidate should have extensive knowledge of molecular biology, AAV vectorology, ability to design and generate multiplexed cargo libraries, and execute analysis of cargo performance by applying a broad array of in vitro and in vivo analytical techniques. The successful candidate should also maintain an up-to-date knowledge of pertinent literature and possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills to efficiently present results to project teams and to lead collaborations.

He/She will be expected to develop projects independently as well as to collaborate cross-functionally. He/she will benefit from a rich and growing set of technological resources across Biogen and will also be involved in external collaborations to support our gene therapy pipeline.

Direct responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

• Design, implementation and characterization of novel gene therapy clinical candidates or platform technologies to support both existing and new programs in the pipeline
• Design cargo library and generate transgene constructs using molecular cloning techniques
• Develop and apply NGS workflows to screen diverse cargo libraries
• Generate and characterize novel cargo with regulatable gene expression and /or tissue/cell-specific tropism
• Establish SOPs and adapt new protocols from literature
• Manage external CROs for outsourced preclinical studies and/or bioanalytical assays
• Maintain electronic laboratory notebooks, present data to the team, and write study reports
• Demonstrate strong skillsets in communications and project management
• Ability to multitask and contribute to multiple projects under demanding timelines

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Qualifications:

• Demonstrated expertise in AAV vectorology, especially in AAV cargo design
• Extensive experience in molecular cloning techniques (e.g., RE digest and ligation, homology-based cloning, Golden Gate assembly, etc.)
• Extensive experience designing, generating and screening multiplexed cargo libraries
• Strong skillsets in mammalian cell culture and assay development
• Extensive experience with molecular biology techniques (qPCR, RT-qPCR, ddPCR, ELISA, WB, etc.)
• Ability to independently design, execute, and analyze in vitro and in vivo studies
• Critical thinking and presentation skills a must
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Ability to productively collaborate in cross-function teams

Preferred:

Previous research experience in neuroscience/neurological disorders

Education

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, Systems Biology, Virology, Bioengineering, or related field

The Gene Therapy Accelerator Unit (GTxAU) at Biogen is seeking an innovative, committed, and enthusiastic scientist to contribute to the generation of gene therapy technologies that can accelerate the development of future clinical candidates for neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.