Senior Research Scientist - Rare Disease Biology/Gene editing

Stem & Primary Cell Team in Discovery Sciences

Hays Specialist Recruitment is now looking for a Senior Research Scientist - Rare Disease Biology/Gene editing to join the Stem & Primary Cell Team for a 1-year contract assignment at AstraZeneca in Gothenburg.

Are you an experienced scientist in the field of stem cells and gene editing? Would you like to combine your scientific skills & drive the development of gene-editing based therapies?
This might be the next challenge for you!

At AstraZeneca in Gothenburg, Sweden we have an exciting opportunity for you to join us in the Stem & Primary Cell Team in Discovery Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, as a bench-based Senior Research Scientist to be a key player in developing therapeutics to change patients' lives.

The role
You will be based in Gothenburg Sweden, working alongside our stem cell scientists, disease area specialists and genome editing group. Using your strong knowledge and experience in stem cell biology, cell model development and CRISPR technology you will have the opportunity to work on in vitro validation aspects of a therapeutic gene editing project. This includes culture and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and carrying out gene editing experiments to validate target hypothesis. This position is for one year in the first instance.

The role is focused on laboratory-based activities. Your biggest impact will be through significant contributions to the practical delivery to projects in compliance with AstraZeneca corporate responsibility, policies and relevant safety standards.

It is essential to have good social and communication skills, be collaborative and a strong team player. Candidates should be able to work independently, take own initiatives and have a positive, goal oriented and problem-solving attitude.

Good organizational, data management and documentation skills are required, and you should be comfortable in presenting your results. English language is required, both spoken and in writing.

Key Responsibilities:

* Culture and differentiate hPSC lines to skeletal and cardiac muscle.
* Culture human primary cells and various mammalian cell lines.
* Perform in vitro and ex vivo studies to investigate the effects of CRISPR-based gene editing on gene and protein expression, cellular readouts and muscle function.
* Perform molecular biology protocols in support of in-house quantitative PCR, digital PCR and NGS assays.
* Effectively collaborate within a matrixed research team to facilitate the success of projects. Maintain complete experimental records.

Minimum Requirements:

* PhD in Developmental Biology, Cell Biology, Gene Editing or a BSc/MSc degree with significant experience
* Proven experience with PSC biology and directed-differentiation to skeletal and cardiac muscle
* Experience with the culture of multiple mammalian cell types including primary cells
* Hands-on experience with the following assay platforms: RT-qPCR, ddPCR, SDS-PAGE, ELISA, Western blots, Flow cytometry and/or cell- based functional/ potency assays.
* Excellent communication skills with ability to build open and collaborative relationships and work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
* Excellent organizational skills and documentation practices.

The following skills are highly desirable:

* Experience with CRISPR gene editing and NGS library prep
* Expertise with liquid handling automation technologies
* Experience of setting up cell based pharmacological assays