Experience level: PhD or equivalent work experience
The position
We are looking for a team member with experience in manipulating and editing (stem) cells. The scientist will lead a project designing vectors to express or silence genes in stem cells to generate specific cell types and characterize them using functional and genomic readouts. The scientist will use single cell RNAseq data to make informed decisions about what genes to target and work closely with our organoid team to establish organoid models with the reprogrammed cells.
Our Mission
Conception is a startup with the mission of generating viable human eggs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Successful development of our research could have many benefits, such as removing age limits on motherhood, allowing for easy screening of eggs with harmful genetic mutations, and allowing same-sex couples to reproduce. This has been done in mice, and now we are working to translate it to humans.
Our Research
To accomplish our goal, we must derive human germ cells from iPSCs (human germ cell-like cells, hPGCLCs) that resemble both the transcriptional and epigenetic profile of in vivo germ cells (PGCs) that are able to enter meiosis and develop to viable human eggs. We create ovarian organoids from primary cells and stem cell derived cells to help the eggs develop properly.
What we’re looking for
It is important for us that you are aligned with our mission. You should have a solid scientific background with a reliable track record in designing and executing experiments independently.
You should have experience in transfecting (using viral or non-viral vectors) different cell types and ideally have run larger gene editing and/or transgene expression screens before. You should have experience with different assays that could be used as a functional readout such as flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and RNAseq. Having experience with computational tools to analyze data is a big plus too.
Come and work with us
We are well funded and well connected in Silicon Valley. We offer competitive pay, company equity, and excellent healthcare benefits for these positions.
To learn more about the original mouse proof of concept to live birth that inspired us, see https://www.nature.com/articles/nature20104
