Co-Op, Cell Banking Process Development

Who is BlueRock?

BlueRock Therapeutics LP is a clinical stage cell therapy harnessing the power of cell therapy to create a pipeline of new medicines for people suffering from neurological and ophthalmic diseases. Two of our novel investigational cell therapies, bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and OpCT-001 for the treatment of primary photoreceptor diseases are clinical stage programs. BlueRock was founded in 2016 as a joint venture of Versant Ventures and Leaps by Bayer. Our culture is defined by the courage to persist regardless of the challenge, the urgency to transform medicine and deliver hope, integrity guided by mission, and community-mindedness with the understanding that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves.

What Are We Doing?

Our foundational science harnesses the ability to create and then direct the differentiation of universal pluripotent stem cells into authentic, functional cells that can be used as allogeneic cellular therapies to treat a broad array of diseases. We can also further engineer these cells, enabling them to produce enzymes, antibodies, and other proteins for additional therapeutic benefit.
We are passionate about delivering on the promise of cellular and gene therapy, shaping the future of cellular medicine, and delivering new therapies to millions of patients with treatment options.
We are seeking individuals who are collaborative, thrive in a fun and dynamic culture, and are steadfast in the commitment to advance cutting-edge cellular therapies to impact patients’ lives.

BlueRock is seeking a talented and highly motivated full-time co-op intern to join the Cell Banking Process Development function/sub-team within the Process Development (PD) team. The candidate will contribute to the process of generation of high-quality cell banks of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that form the foundation of cell-based therapies. The primary responsibilities will be supporting process development for cell banking and upstream manufacturing towards the goal of ultimately tech transferring process changes and improvements from R&D to GMP. There will also be the opportunity to collaborate with other groups within the Process Development team as well as internal and external development partners. In the bigger picture, the successful candidate will be part of developing novel cell-based therapies and bringing regenerative medicines to those who are suffering with intractable diseases. Our dynamic workplace is attractive to those who are self-motivated and resourceful.

Responsibilities:
• Perform cell culture procedures including thawing, passaging, expanding and cryopreserving hPSC lines in PD experimental work or for production of cell banks in R&D.
• Participate in experimental design, planning and hands-on execution in the lab to support process development for cell banking and upstream manufacturing.
• Support root cause investigations to troubleshoot failures in cell culture processes and experiments.
• Perform laboratory techniques like cell counting, DNA/RNA extraction, qRT-PCR, flow cytometry, cell processing for downstream applications, various cell characterization assays, and determine experimental outcomes.
• Collect and analyze data in electronic laboratory notebooks from cell processes, various assays, then track and trend data.
• Present scientific data to colleagues in small and large group meetings and forums, prepare and present internal presentations.
• Support authoring of study protocols, slide decks, technical reports, and other scientific documents if requested.
• Perform additional duties to support the safe and efficient operation of the laboratory, and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements:
• Have currently enrolled in or completed a degree program at an accredited college or university in Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences or related field of study.
• Possess the ability to work an 8- to 12-month full-time assignment.
• Must be at least 18 years of age by the start of the internship/co-op term.
• Must have transportation to the BlueRock Therapeutics site in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• This position is intended to be on-site (always in office/lab) and candidates will be informed should anything change.
• A minimum requirement of 1-2 years of experience in aseptic culture technique, maintaining human or mammalian cell types, and related laboratory experience.
• Experience in working with human pluripotent stem cells is highly advantageous.
• Experience in performing laboratory techniques and cell characterization assays (primarily molecular biology-based) is desirable.
• Ability to work independently and in a group.
• Self-motivated and willing to accept temporary responsibilities outside of the initial job description.
• Competency in computer skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, sufficient to multi-task and be productive in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities, attention to detail and meticulous bench work.

BlueRock Therapeutics Company Culture Highlights
Winner of Boston Business Journal's Best Places to Work (Mid-size Company) 2023
Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company for Diversity 2022
Winner of Comparably's Award for Best Company for Women 2022
Winner of Comparably's Award for Best CEO 2022
BlueRock Therapeutics is ranked in the top 5% of companies for Overall Culture on Comparably.
Engineering Department is ranked in the top 5% of companies for Overall Culture on Comparably.

Check us out on Comparably: https://www.comparably.com/companies/bluerock-therapeutics
Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluerocktx/

Equal Opportunity Workplace: At BlueRock, we welcome and support differences and diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Please let us know if you require disability-related accommodation or other grounds protected by human rights legislation during the recruitment process so that we can work with you to meet your needs.