Senior Research Associate I/II, Vector Engineering

About Voyager Therapeutics 
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 cutting-edge 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 Pharma AG, Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc., as well as multiple programs in Voyager’s own pipeline. Voyager’s pipeline includes wholly owned and collaborative preclinical programs in Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and other diseases of the central nervous system, with a focus on validated targets and biomarkers to enable a path to rapid potential proof-of-biology. For more information, visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com.

Voyager Therapeutics® is a registered trademark, and TRACER™ is a trademark, of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.

Job overview: We are looking for a versatile, talented and motivated Senior Research Associate I/II to join the Gene Therapy team to support our RNA interference knock-down programs and overexpression programs. This will involve design, optimization, AAV vectorization and screening of candidate transgene for both RNA interference and gene re-expression programs such as Huntington’s disease and other targets. The position will emphasize the engineering of multiple constructs including gene expression cassettes, RNA interference cassettes, multicistronic/multitarget transgene conformations, miRNA-Overexpression combined cassettes and other innovative molecular designs. The candidate will be involved in multiple programs and will have to pivot between assignments on a regular basis.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with scientists to design AAV-compatible constructs with full optimization of upstream and downstream regulatory sequences, scaffolds, artificial microRNA sequences, codon optimization variants, de-targeting sequences or other designs.
• Build series of transgene constructs using the most appropriate molecular biology techniques (traditional cloning, Gibson assembly, automatic gene synthesis), and deliver fully validated constructs for downstream analysis.
• Analyze the efficiency, specificity, or other attributes of transgene constructs in various cell culture and animal models
• Maintain accurate and organized records of transgene constructs and associated results and properties

Required qualifications

·         BA or MA in biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, or related field

·         4+ years hands-on wet lab experience

·         Proficiency in molecular cloning design and techniques

·         Hands-on experience in molecular biology techniques (RNA/DNA isolation, plasmid purification, Western blotting, qPCR, RT-qPCR, ELISA)

·         Experience with mammalian cell culture techniques

·         Strong collaborative, organizational, and presentation skills

·         Ability to document, maintain, and share an organized account of lab work and results

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with AAV vectors