Nephrogen is looking for a Principal Research Scientist to join our team and contribute to the development and discovery of next-generation gene therapies for kidney disease. This role offers the opportunity to engage in high-impact translational research in an early-stage, fast-paced startup environment. The ideal candidate will have 5 years of experience in a biology laboratory environment and possess a strong work ethic, ability to work independently, attention to detail, and capable of juggling several different tasks and responsibilities concurrently.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform mammalian cell culture and transfections to validate therapeutic candidates.
• Prepare and characterize adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) for in vivo injections.
• Perform molecular biology techniques such as PCR, bacterial culture, Western Blot, qPCR, and next-generation sequencing (NGS).
• Document, compile, and analyze experimental data.
• Present findings at team meetings and conferences.
• Handle mice for breeding, injections, and tissue isolations (optional)

Desired Skills and Experience

• MS/PhD (in biology, chemistry, or related field) or BS with at least 5 years of post-graduate experience.
• Highly motivated and passionate about working in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Experience with CRISPR-Cas editing OR preparing and characterizing AAV is required.
• Experience with NGS is strongly desired.
• Hard working and positive attitude.

About Nephrogen

Nephrogen is a seed-stage biotech company developing curative gene therapies for kidney diseases. Our initial focus is on polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which affects 600,000 Americans and has no effective treatment or cure. Nephrogen was founded by Demetri Maxim, a PKD patient and scientist from Stanford University, Vivek Bhalla, and George Church. Our Scientific Advisory Board includes several field leaders in kidney disease and genetics, including Terry Watnick (NIH PKD Center), Ron Perrone (Tufts University), and Mark Kay (Stanford University).

Our team has spent the last 10 years solving the key bottleneck in the field of getting high efficiency delivery to the kidney. We developed novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid variants that target kidney epithelial cells and are combining this technology with CRISPR-Cas gene editing to develop one-time curative treatments for PKD and other genetic kidney diseases. We’re boldly committed to applying our innovative technology towards reimagining kidney disease patient care.