Scientist I (Histology)

About Voyager

 Voyager Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VYGR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to breaking through barriers in gene therapy and neurology. The potential of both disciplines has been constrained by delivery challenges; Voyager is leveraging innovative expertise in capsid discovery and deep neuropharmacology capabilities to address these constraints. Voyager’s TRACER AAV capsid discovery platform has generated novel capsids with high target delivery and blood-brain barrier penetration at low doses, potentially addressing the narrow therapeutic window associated with conventional gene therapy delivery vectors. This platform is fueling alliances with Pfizer Inc., Novartis and Neurocrine Biosciences as well as multiple programs in Voyager’s own pipeline. Voyager’s pipeline includes preclinical programs in Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), each with validated targets and biomarkers to enable a path to rapid potential proof-of-biology. For more information, visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com.

Job Overview

Reporting to the Senior Scientist I, Histology and Spatial-omics, Translational Research, the Scientist will contribute to Voyager’s research team at its facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  This is a hands-on position for a person committed to helping the broader team conduct innovative drug discovery research and development in a collaborative environment. We are seeking a person who is enthusiastic about biomedical research and can work in close partnership with other scientists and team members. This is an ideal position for an individual with extensive experience in immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and in-situ hybridization (ISH), single cell/nuclei sequencing, and spatial-omics assay development as well as extensive knowledge of brain anatomy. The ideal candidate will demonstrate thorough knowledge of experimental design and independent thinking to support multiple programs. The scientist must be a highly motivated individual with the ability to oversee project timelines and deliverables and interpret and communicate results.

Responsibilities

• Develop and perform novel tissue-based staining methodologies (IHC, IF, and ISH staining) and subsequent image acquisition and analysis to support neuroscience research and development and novel capsid discovery programs.
• Handle and process fresh frozen and fixed nervous-and peripheral- tissues from rodents, non-human primates, and human.
• Lead evaluation and development of new, cutting-edge histology-driven techniques. For example, lead the assay development and data analysis using spatial-omics technologies that includes Nanostring’s CosMx, Akoya Phenocyler Fusion, 10x Visium Spatial Transcriptomics
• Contribute to experimental design, planning, execution, and formal reporting of research projects involving histological analyses.
• Drive study management workflows and manage team resources for histology assay validation and execution of multiple experiments.
• Collaborate with project team members and peers to anticipate and resolve day-to-day issues working in a matrix organizational structure.
• Develop and oversee spatial-omics infrastructure and enable and improve processes, workflow, and databases to support research activities.
• Serve as internal lead on all aspects of spatial-omics technologies
• Present data at meetings and conferences and contributes to publications and patents, etc.

Qualifications and Experiences

• MS with 8+ years relevant industry experience or PhD with 1+ years of experience.
• Extensive experience using IHC/ISH automated staining systems preferably Ventana Discovery Ultra or Leica BondRx.
• Experience in image acquisition using whole slide scanners such as Olympus VS 200 or Aperio Versa, epifluorescence, and confocal microscopy.
• Experience in image analysis using Halo or Visiopharm or Defeniens or Image J.
• Knowledge and working experience with the anatomy of brain and spinal cord of rodents, non-human primates and humans.
• Assay development using spatial-omics or single cell/nuclei sequencing.
• Exhibit excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Provide perspective on experimental go/no-go decisions and external collaborations.

Strongly Preferred

• Familiarity/proficiency with newer histology-based precision profiling techniques and data analysis, such as laser capture micro-dissection (LCM), 10x Genomics in-situ sequencing/Xenium or Visium spatial transcriptomics or Nanostring’s Digital Spatial Profiling or CosMx.
• Familiarity/proficiency with RNA sequencing technologies specifically single nuclei sequencing and data analysis.
• Familiarity with gene therapy technologies
• Proficiency with statistical packages such as GraphPad Prism, JMP, etc.
• Basic knowledge of statistical principles related to biological data analysis
• Through understanding of assays involving enzymes and antibodies