Your mission
Purpose of Job
The purpose of the job is to provide technical execution and support of in vivo mouse experiments and assist with wet lab activities in the R&D department at MeiraGTx.
Job Description
Work pattern
Please note, this is 12-months fixed-term position providing maternity cover until the current post holder returns to work after maternity leave.
Major Activities
- Performance of animal procedures assessing vision in mouse models of retinal disease on a weekly/daily basis depending on the individual project. Procedures cover but are not limited to electroretinography (ERG), ocular imaging (SLO, OCT) and visual behavior tests.
- Drug administration including gavage, intraperitoneal (IP), intravenous (IV) and intraocular delivery.
- Tissue collection and tissue processing for histological and molecular analysis.
- Maintenance of animal stocks involving management of breeding, collection of ear clips and genotyping.
- Stock-checking, ordering and restocking of laboratory consumables.
- Arranging regular deliveries and shipments of samples and consumables between labs.
- Assisting in developing and drafting of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Additional Activities- The post-holder will be expected to carry out any other duties that are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job and the R&D team
Key Performance Indicators
- Completion of tasks and experiments within provided timelines & budget
Key Job Competencies
- Extensive, hands-on experience with mouse models of disease and the ability to work on different projects in a fast-paced environment.
- The ability to follow set procedures with a keen eye for detail and a genuine passion to work with animals and their welfare.
- Motivation - sets and achieves challenging goals; demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; measures self against standard of excellence.
- Planning/Organizing - prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; plans for additional resources; sets goals and objectives.
- Professionalism - approaches others in a tactful manner; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; accepts responsibility for own actions; follows through on commitments.
- Oral Communication - speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; demonstrates good presentation skills; participates effectively in meetings.
- Written Communication - writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; able to read and interpret written information.
- Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement at the individual, department, and organizational levels.
- A flexible and cooperative approach with the ability to adapt to changing work demands and a willingness to work in and travel to two different sites in Central London (majority of animal work performed in a BSU in North London; on occasions travel to the wet labs located in Old Street).
- Experience with ophthalmic mouse procedures (e.g. ERGs, retina dissection) and basic molecular biology techniques (e.g. PCRs) to support the R&D wet-lab activities would be advantageous but is not a requirement, practical training for specific experimental procedures will be provided.
Job Responsibilities
- Proficient performance of mouse procedures and in vivo experiments in line with agreed timelines and the 3Rs.
- Accurate data collection and maintenance of records, both written and electronic, to ensure successful completion of projects.
- Support of animal breeding and regular genotyping of the existing mouse colonies
- Assist in the performance of routine maintenance of the procedure rooms and wet labs
- Support ordering of consumables and stock checking
- Completion of tasks within provided budget & timelines
Job background
- A levels or BTech in any Science/Biological subjects.
- Current holder of home office-approved animal license (PIL A, B), PIL C is preferred but not required.
- At least 2-3 years experience of working with laboratory animals, preferably with mice.
- Experience of working in a CRO environment is advantageous but not required.
About us
MeiraGTx is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing potentially curative treatments for patients living with serious diseases. We currently have six programs in clinical development including three ocular indications, a salivary gland condition, and a Parkinson’s disease program. Our initial focus on diseases of the eye, salivary gland and central nervous system is based on the significant unmet medical need coupled with the high potential gene therapy has to provide meaningful clinical benefit in these areas. With headquarters in New York and London, our global footprint provides us the opportunity to partner with leading institutions around the world, allowing us to deepen our understanding of diseases and their progression.
Our team was built with deep expertise in gene therapy development, allowing us to efficiently advance our programs from preclinical to clinical development. Our core capabilities in viral vector design and optimization and gene therapy manufacturing give us a differentiated approach to developing gene therapies. Additionally, we are developing proprietary technology to potentially enable innovative gene therapy treatments whose expression can be turned on and off with an easily administered small molecule. We believe temporal control of gene therapy products has the potential to transform the gene therapy landscape.
Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, completed in early 2018, was designed to meet global regulatory requirements, including the current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) required by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The 29,000-square foot facility has the flexibility and capacity to produce sufficient product for all our clinical trials and will scale to commercial capacity.
