Animal Study Coordinator - Genetic Engineering Services Technician II - Mirimus : Job Details

About Mirimus:

Mirimus specializes in harnessing the power of RNA interference (RNAi) and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for cell and animal model creation for pre-clinical therapeutic development. Mirimus generates unique comparative gene-edited models for large pharma drug discovery groups and CROs. Mirimus is partnered with Charles River Laboratories and performs all of their custom mouse model creation for their North America GEMS division. Mirimus is also partnered with Biogen to develop novel RNAi therapeutics. Our mission is to provide superior preclinical models for target discovery and validation to accelerate therapeutic development for human health issues.

About the Role:

Mirimus is seeking a highly motivated, innovative and experienced full-time technician to contribute to their Genetically Engineering Service (GES) in the production of Animal Models and completion of research studies. Successful candidates will be part of an innovative and creative team with the opportunity to apply their creativity to Mirimus' core vision. A positive attitude, proficient communication skills, along with the ability to learn quickly are required attributes.

Suitable candidates must have experience with transgenic mice and/or higher organisms such as rats and basic molecular biology techniques. They must have professional and scientific skills and knowledge in the specified area(s) and be willing to engage and stay abreast with current developments and trends arising in the field. Good knowledge of scientific principles, methods and processes (technical and/or theoretical) used to conduct systematic and objective inquiry, methods of data collection and analyses, and interpreting and reporting results are required, as well as the ability to operate instruments and equipment and proficiency in related information technology including Microsoft Office, VectorNTI, etc. The GES Team member must be available and prepared to perform scheduled study observations or collections potentially on weekends.

To be successful you will need:

Education

● BS in Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Biotechnology or related fields.

● A minimum of 1-3 years of experience working in industry or in academia.

● Basic scientific calculation (such as weight volume concentration, molar concentration, etc.).

Essential skills and experience

● Experience handling mice and rats is required.

● Experience with mouse and/or animal colony management.

● Experience with genotyping samples (tails, ears, etc.)

● Experience with performing mouse surgeries.

● Familiarity with protocol submissions under IACUC.

● Experience with molecular cloning.

● Experience handling transgenic mice, including analyzing and quantitating data from experiments is highly desired.

● Excellent written and oral communication skills.

● Interact with all individuals in productive ways to enhance Mirimus' goals and core vision. Show respect and maintain a professional attitude to all lab members and outside collaborators.

Duties

I. Coordinate and be responsible for the planning and execution of animal research studies:

● Schedule and prepare for animal studies with Animal Team and GES members

● Ensure that the surgical/anesthesia area is booked and needed surgical instruments sterilized

● Ensure that and all needed feed, collection tubes and materials are ordered and on hand

● Assist/Perform a variety of injection and blood draw procedures with living rodents

● Assist with surgical procedures, including administration and monitoring anesthesia

● Be prepared to provide postoperative care, treatment or observation of animals for study time points, when Animal Team is unavailable

● Participate in necropsies and post-mortem sample collections

● Prepare and organize sample collection tubes and inventory/manifests

● Ensure appropriate storage, hand-off or shipment of samples and confirm receipt at testing labs

● Document all stages of study execution and assemble completed study reports

II. Assist GES team members with Molecular Assays and Data Analyses:

● DNA: Extraction from biopsies, PCR amplification

● RNA: Extraction from samples, qRT-PCR

● Protein: Flow Cytometry, Immunofluorescence, Immuno Blots

● Assemble data and contribute to abstracts and manuscripts

● Prepare and present findings at internal and external meetings, when asked

III. Animal Colony Maintenance

● Maintain a variety of animal, procedural and study records

● Assist in breeding and maintaining of rodent colonies

● Perform routine PCR genotyping of mouse and rat colonies

● Update records in SoftMouse to enable Animal Team to execute

● Assemble genotyping reports needed for internal studies and external clients

Additional skills valuable to Mirimus

● Working knowledge of RNA interference, shRNA and/or siRNA , as well as, gene editing

● 1 year of animal research experience required .

● Experience with performing rat surgeries. Surgical assistance experience is preferred.

● Experience with injection methods in mice and rats preferred.

● Flow cytometry experience.

● Experience with western blots.

Mirimus Inc. does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other reason prohibited by law.