Research Associate, Translational Research

Alloy Therapeutics

Alloy Therapeutics

Waltham, MA, USA
Posted on Jun 27, 2024
The Company
We are Alloy Therapeutics—a biotechnology ecosystem company empowering the global scientific community to make better medicines together. Through a community of partners, we democratize access to pre-competitive tools, technologies, services, and company creation capabilities that are foundational for discovering and developing therapeutic biologics. The company facilitates affordable, non-exclusive access to the entire drug discovery community from academic scientists, small and medium biotech, to the largest biopharma. At Alloy, we believe our industry should compete on getting the best drugs to patients as quickly as possible, not exclusive access to the best platforms. As a reflection of our relentless commitment to the scientific community, we reinvest 100% of our revenue in innovation and access to innovation. MAY THE BEST DRUG WIN.

Alloy is headquartered in Waltham, MA with additional labs in Cambridge, UK; Basel, CH; and Athens, GA and 82VS portfolio companies in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas and Oklahoma City. Successful members thrive in our shared culture of accountability, deliberate trust, and open communication. As a team we aspire to work together to exceed expectations and collectively contribute across the global organization to always maintain our nimble, startup culture.

This is an on-site and full-time position with flexibility to work from home. At Alloy, we have an ethos of “Mentorship-By-Apprenticeship” in all of our positions. We strive to have workers in the office when needed to interact organically and face-to-face. Of course, as a lab-based operation, our cells and animals grow 7 days a week, 365 days per year. We respect and value our colleagues for their hard work that requires them to be in the lab every day. We ask our people who have more flexible accommodations, like this position, to appreciate their colleagues who have less flexibility. We are all one team!

The Team
Alloy’s Translational Research team supports our drug discovery partners with in vitro and in vivo testing of therapeutic drug candidates across multiple modalities. The Translational Team provides robust functional characterization of biologics including monoclonal antibodies, multispecific antibodies, TCR- mimic antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing cell therapies and genetic medicines, among others. The Translational Research team supports external partners with functional testing of discovery output while also working closely with other scientific teams within Alloy to validate platform innovations and novel technologies.

The Role
As a Research Associate, you will work closely with the scientific team within Translational Research to support our various research programs. You will be responsible for running validated assay systems for the testing of therapeutic biologics, including antibodies and cell therapies. You will utilize state-of-the-art high-throughput methods to evaluate the activity of novel biologics on human cells in disease-specific assay systems. You will also provide operational support to the Translational Resarch team through cell line maintenance, reagent generation and preparation, and inventory management, among other tasks.

This role requires a mindset that embraces continuous learning, and an ability to work on multiple
independent projects simultaneously. This role will report to a Senior Scientist on the Translational Research team with autonomy owning various stakeholders, projects, and tasks in a dynamic start-up environment while keeping up the pace of Alloy. This is you!

How You’ll Drive Impact
  • Create: Functional data characterizing the disease-modulating activity of novel biologic therapeutics.
  • Investigate: Novel antibody- and cell-based therapies for the treatment of a wide range of clinical indications.
  • Assess: Comparative activity of novel biologics to research-grade control reagents or clinical- stage assets; reliability, repeatability and cost-effectiveness of assay systems.
  • Coordinate: Between Translational Research team members and the internal Alloy scientific team to ensure that our research programs are delivering high-quality data on expected timelines.
  • Communicate: Research results to the Translational Research team, the broader Alloy scientific team, and externally to research partners & licensees.
Why We Value You
  • You have relevant experience in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology or a closely related field.
  • You have hands-on experience with cell biology techniques, including but not limited to culture of mammalian primary cells and immortalized cell lines.
  • You have experience with immunoassays such as Western blots, ELISAs and plate-based colorimetric/fluorescent reporter assays systems.
  • You have experience designing and executing experiments utilizing multiparameter flow cytometry.
  • You have experience with cell line engineering and validation (e.g. stable retroviral transduction, transient DNA/mRNA transfection, CRISPR).
  • You have experience with cytokine release assays using primary human cells
  • You have experience with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity using primary human cells
  • You have experience with antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis using primary human cells
  • You have experience with T cell cytotoxicity assays using endpoint flow cytometry measurements
  • You have experience with T cell cytotoxicity assays using kinetic live-cell imaging
  • You have experience with primary human immune cell activation assays using multparameter flow cytometry
  • You have experience with primary human immune cell activation assays using ELISpot imaging techniques
  • You have experience with optimization of biological activity assays relying on fluorometric or colorimetric readout
  • You have experience with digital ELN/LIMS systems.
  • You have exemplary oral and written communication skills.
  • You have a desire to learn new skills and techniques in immunology.
  • You can prioritize and advance goals while working on multiple projects simultaneously.
  • You thrive working independently and on a team, collaborating with others to achieve project goals.
Desired Multipliers
  • B.S./M.S. in Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology or a related scientific field.
  • Hands-on experience working with mammalian cells in a BSL2+ laboratory environment.
  • Ability to work across various US and international time zones.
  • Accommodate occasional travel as needed (10%).
Taking Care of Our People
We support the individuality of what people need to do outside of work to empower them to do their best at work. While you focus on making better medicine together, we focus on programs and benefits that support a diverse and growing team. Whether you’re single, in a growing family, or nearing retirement, Alloy offers a variety of comprehensive and competitive benefits starting from day one.
Compensation
  • Competitive base and equity compensation commensurate with level of experience and independence
  • 401(k) company match
Health & Family
  • Generous personal and family medical, dental and vision benefits with 100% of premiums and deductibles covered
  • Company-paid disability (STD, LTD) and life insurance
  • Paid parental leave
  • Family planning support up to $45,000 (e.g., IVF/PGT, adoption, surrogacy, egg retrieval)
Unique Perks
  • Unlimited PTO (paid time off) and flexible schedules
  • Annual stipend for continuing education with commitment to your career through individualized professional development plan
  • Wellness and Extensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP) including resources for mental wellness
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Here at Alloy, we democratize capabilities for discovering and developing therapeutic biologics. So, being diverse and inclusive isn’t just something we strive for, it is who we are, and part of what we do each and every single day. We want to ensure that as an employee, you feel Alloy is a place where, no matter who you are, you feel safe, included, and that you have the opportunity to bring your unique self to work. Alloy Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at recruiting@alloytx.com. We will make every effort to respond to your request for disability assistance as soon as possible.