EVOX THERAPEUTICS - BACKGROUND

Evox Therapeutics is a privately held, Oxford-based biotechnology company focused on harnessing and engineering the natural delivery capabilities of extracellular vesicles, known as exosomes, to develop an entirely new class of therapeutics. Backed by leading life sciences venture capital groups and supported by a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio, Evox’s mission is to positively impact human health by creating novel exosome-based therapeutics for the treatment of various severe diseases with limited options for patients and their families. Evox has created substantial proprietary technology to modify exosomes using various molecular engineering, drug loading, and targeting strategies to facilitate targeted drug delivery to organs of interest, including the brain and the central nervous system. Evox is currently focusing on combining the natural power of exosomes as delivery systems, with genome editing technologies for CNS disorders.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Department: Research

Reports to: Associate Director, Pharmacology Team

Direct Reports: None

MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB

This role will primarily support the current and future activities of the pharmacology research team in advancing CRISPR/Cas technology towards pre-clinical and clinical studies. The role requires the candidate to perform lab activities and capture the process and experimental data adequately and meticulously. The role is fast paced and will work across several functions within Evox, necessitating an agile, solutions-oriented and approachable mindset. The role requires an individual with good self-organisational skills, as well as strong sense of teamwork.

This position is based at Evox Therapeutics facility at the Oxford Science Park, Oxford, UK, and reports to Associate Director, Pharmacology Team.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

The candidate will work in a collaborative environment, working closely with other members of the R&D team.

The key responsibilities will include:

• Growth and maintenance of mammalian cells

• Involvement in activities such as vector production, process development optimisation (including upstream and downstream processing) to support R&D activities

• Generate gene editing exosomes (ExoEdit^TM) for in vitro and in vivo evaluation

• Perform analytical assays to characterize exosome batches

• Evaluate gene editing efficiency in vitro and in vivo, as required

• Support the team and the research group where appropriate

• Keeping excellent records of all experiments, data and assisting with data analysis

• Adhere to guidelines that ensure good laboratory practice and health and safety compliance

PERSON SPECIFICATION

MSc, BSc or equivalent experience in molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, or other related discipline

• Strong collaborative and team-oriented mindset

• Organized, detail-oriented and with a good conceptual and critical thinking
• Excellent communication, both written and verbal

• Ability to be self-motivated and work both independently and as part of a team within a fast-paced team environment, achieve deadlines, and be able to change delivery priorities to align with the business demands

Experience & knowledge

Essential skills:

• Expertise in cell culture manipulation, maintenance and transfection
• Experience in a wide range of molecular biology techniques, such as DNA extraction, PCR, DNA sequencing, ddPCR, FACS and Western Blot
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Excellent planning and organisational skills

Desirable skills:

• Experience with gene editing technology
• Experience with nanoparticles and/or extracellular vesicles as delivery systems, including analytical techniques used to characterize them
• Experience with downstream processing such as ultrafiltration and/or ultracentrifugation and chromatography-based processing

KEY VALUES – ALL STAFF

We encourage diversity

We strive for excellence

We collaborate to innovate

We are passionate and creative