Advanced Research Assistant - Cellular Generation and Phenotyping

An opportunity has arisen for two talented cell biology specialists to join the Cellular Generation and Phenotyping team (CGaP). You will be working as part of an international collaboration, striving to develop and utilise one of the largest organoid biobanks in the world.

About the role

As an Advanced Research Assistant you will join a large multi-disciplinary team working as part of the Human Cancer Model Initiative to generate and CRISPR screen a large organoid biobank.

Approximately 1,000 human cancer cell lines are available worldwide, which are a useful resource for cancer research. However as we enter the era of precision medicine, poor disease representation, insufficient numbers to capture the genetic diversity of cancer and lack of clinical outcome data samples limit their use. Novel cell culturing methods such as organoid derivation have revolutionised our ability to derive new models to overcome these limitations. Genome-wide loss of function CRISPR screens enable the identification of novel therapeutic targets. 

As an Advanced Research within this project, you will:

• Co-ordinate and process a range of clinical human samples to derive new 3D Organoid cultures
• Perform Genome-wide CRISPR screens on organoid models and cancer cell lines
• Troubleshoot current methods and identify process improvements
• Collaborate closely with faculty groups within the Institute to deliver projects

You will be provided with all the appropriate training for you to fulfil your role. We encourage all staff to take part in the learning and development opportunities available within the department and the wider Institute.

About you

• You will have relevant cell biology experience, including cell culture and cell based assays, with an interest in process improvement. 

• You'll have excellent team working and communication skills.

• The processing of clinical samples requires strong time management and organisational skills. You will use these skills to train junior staff, as well as working closely with the Senior Scientific Managers to successfully deliver projects.

About the research

We are a core research group, responsible for providing cell biology resource and expertise to the wider institute. We do this by running multiple, diverse, high-throughput projects for faculty teams across the Sanger Institute. Our current portfolio of projects include, genome wide CRISPR screens of iPSC and cancer cells, differentiation of iPSCs toward neuronal lineages, organoid derivation, iPSC derivation and Spatial Genomics associated with the Human Cell Atlas Initiative. Our role is to support the institute in its aims and for that, we continually strive to remain at the forefront of cutting edge research. Namely translating academic research into large-scale projects, which push the boundaries of our understanding, allowing the Sanger to remain a world leader in genome research.

Further information about our team and the projects we work on, can be found here; https://www.sanger.ac.uk/group/cellular-generation-and-phenotyping/

Please include a CV and covering letter with your application describing how you meet the essential criteria for the role.