Waypoint Bio is a venture-backed biotech startup building the next generation of cell therapies for solid tumors, including CAR-T, CAR-NK, and TCR-T. Traditional cell therapy development faces a trade-off between in vitro approaches that are fast but inaccurate, and in vivo approaches that are accurate but slow and expensive. Using our proprietary platform combining spatial biology, pooled screening, in silico protein engineering, and machine learning, we can obtain both depth and breadth when screening cell therapy candidates - speed without compromising on in vivo accuracy. Our team is highly collaborative, interdisciplinary, and shares the mission of bringing the promise of immune cell therapy to all cancer patients.
Position Summary:
We are seeking a highly-motivated part-time scientist who thrives in a fast-paced and collaborative environment. The ideal candidate will have expertise working with mouse cancer models (xenograft solid tumors) to test the efficacy and safety of cancer therapies. Top candidates will also have knowledge and experience performing in vivo tests of CAR-T efficacy in solid tumor models. In this position, you will optimize the performance of our existing solid tumor models and also develop novel mouse models of solid tumors. You will use these models to compare the efficacy of top-performing cell therapy designs, and also to evaluate hundreds of CAR-T designs in vivo using Waypoint's pooled CAR-T screening platform.
Duties and Responsibilities
Perform all steps of in vivo mouse studies to assess CAR T efficacy in CDX models. This includes subcutaneous injections for tumor implantation, measuring tumor growth over time, performing IV tail vein and intraperitoneal injections to deliver therapeutic agents, assessing humane & experimental endpoints in the mice, and harvesting tumors for subsequent ex vivo analysis.
Use mouse cancer models to apply Waypoint's pooled CAR-T screening platform in vivo.
Establish new in vivo cancer models and improve the performance and accuracy of existing models.
Actively engage in prioritizing key milestones and developing appropriate timelines.
Provide conceptual input on in vivo experimental design and interpretation in a team setting.
Keep detailed scientific records in electronic lab notebook.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in biology, immunology, genetics, cancer biology, or related field.
2+ years of academic or industry experience working on mouse models of solid tumors.
Technical expertise in mouse injection methods (IV, SubQ, IP), subcutaneous tumor implantation and measurements, organ harvesting, animal phenotyping, and adherence to IACUC protocols.
Experience with mammalian cell culture.
Detailed scientific record keeping in electronic format.
An excellent scientific track record with published papers or recent experience in the fields of cancer biology or immunotherapy.
Superb organizational abilities and precise scientific record keeping in electronic lab notebooks.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience using luciferase reporters for live-animal imaging.
Knowledge of the interplay between the immune system and the tumor microenvironment.
Expertise in evaluating cancer therapies in mouse models, especially cell therapies (CAR-T, CAR-NK, TCR-T) or antibody therapies.