Sr. Scientist, CAR Screening and Lead Selection

Janssen Research & Development LLC, a division of Johnson & Johnson's Family of Companies, is recruiting for a Sr. Scientist, CAR Screening and Lead Selection based in Spring House, Pennsylvania.

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com and follow us @JanssenGlobal. Janssen Research & Development LLC is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies.

The Cell Therapy team at Janssen Therapeutics Discovery seeks a highly motivated Sr. Scientist to join our Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Screening and Discovery team. The Sr. Scientist will join a cross-functional group of experts building a high throughput CAR screening pipeline for autologous and iPSC-derived effector cell types in the development of cutting-edge cell therapy products. The ideal candidate is an experienced and highly motivated scientist with a strong background in T cell or CAR engineering with experience driving collaborative projects across teams working on optimization and engineering of next generation cell therapy candidates. Key activities will include designing, optimizing and building novel CAR constructs, performing assays that can efficiently characterize the phenotype and functionality of CAR-expressing immune cells employing a variety of tools including viral and non-viral gene delivery, high throughput multi-parametric flow cytometry, and analyzing data to derive insights that can further advise new construct design parameters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively across teams optimizing and advancing cell therapy candidates from early discovery to IND enabling studies.
• Propose, build and test novel CAR designs, constructs and strategies.
• Independently evaluate and optimize CAR design from transcription to translation, including codon optimization, a.a. sequence modifications, cloning (mini-maxi prep), vector builds and testing.
• Help optimize and execute screens to enable high throughput evaluation and selection of lead CAR binders for primary and iPSC-derived effector cells.
• Work in a highly matrixed team environment to advance key preclinical programs targeting both heme and solid tumors.
• Proactively investigate and drive improvements to processes across the team.
• Deliver written and oral presentations that support strategic decision-making, patent applications, and regulatory submissions.
• Foster a collaborative, creative, and rigorous culture of innovation through active participation in scientific discussions and keeping current with relevant literature.