Scientist/Senior Scientist Organoid Immuno-Oncology

Asgard Therapeutics AB, Lund, Sweden

Asgard Therapeutics is a spin-off from Lund University, Sweden, aiming to advance cancer immunotherapies by harnessing direct cell fate reprogramming technologies. Our lead program, TrojanDC, is a paradigm-shifting gene therapy that reprograms cancer cells into antigen-presenting dendritic cells, unleashing the immune system against cancer. Asgard is building a multidisciplinary team that understands the value and opportunities of working in a startup based in a unique platform technology. We are looking for team members who are creative and passionate about making a contribution to the cancer immunotherapy field and improve patients’ lives.

Position overview

We are seeking a highly enthusiastic and innovative Scientist/Senior Scientist searching for an opportunity to help building an early-stage company and contribute to the development of next generation cancer immunotherapies.
The successful candidate should have the ability to design experiments autonomously, analyze complex data, troubleshoot technical issues, and supervise junior staff. Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills are required. Experimental rigor, scientific curiosity and ability to work in a fast-paced environment, adapting to evolving priorities are musts. The position will be lab-based and research activities will be performed in collaboration with the Cell Reprogramming in Hematopoiesis and Immunity Lab at Lund University (www.pereiralab.com).

Profile

Scientist/Senior Scientist with background in immunology to work in the pre-clinical development of TrojanDC cancer gene therapy. The candidate will be responsible for establishing organoid/tumoroids 3D cell culture models to validate TrojanDC efficacy ex vivo. The ideal candidate should have a Ph.D. degree in an immunology-related field with relevant laboratory experience in academia or biotech industry, including experience in mammalian cell culture including primary cell isolation and handling, as well as 3D co- culture systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop key capabilities for the generation of necessary patient-derived organoid models and their detailed phenotyping using cutting-edge image analysis and single-cell mRNAseq.
• Evaluate TrojanDC efficacy ex-vivo in human organoids models in terms of transduction and reprogramming efficiency, as well co-culture with relevant immune cell population to characterize induced immune response.
• Troubleshoot technical difficulties encountered in organoid establishment, growth (media and growth factors) and testing
• Establish methods to characterize the immune response induced by TrojanDC ex vivo, including multi-color flow cytometry, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, T cell co-culture systems, among other immune assays.