Interested in translation of Gene Editing technologies in Cellular Therapies? Join our exciting DARE-NL infrastructure and translational research team. DARE-NL is a large nation-wide Dutch Cancer Society funded infrastructure that enables the generation of cellular therapies for cancer patients.

We offer a position for a Project coordinator Gene Editing in Cellular Therapies to coordinate the realization of the future technologies work-package of DARE-NL. DARE-NL, the Dutch platform for cancer-specific ATMP Research to ensure harmonized development, clinical testing and sustained patient access, will be a sustainable infrastructure for the translation of cell and gene therapy comprised of hubs of (A) knowledge, (B) biologics & technologies and (C) implementation and patient outreach. DARE-NL comprises all Dutch cell therapy research institutes and is designed to centrally tackle existing bottlenecks in ATMP development for the treatment of cancer. Hereby, DARE-NL aims to transform the cellular therapy landscape in the Netherlands and enable rapid bench-to-bedside translation, clinical implementation and sustained availability of novel concepts.

As Project coordinator Gene Editing in Cellular Therapies, you will mainly lead and organize work-package 5 of the DARE-NL infrastructure project. This involves the identification, development and implementation of new technologies for the development and GMP-compliant production of ATMPs. The objectives are to identify new technologies and setup a knowledge exchange platform within DARE-NL for GMP manufacturing of non-viral biologics and CRISPR/Cas reagents. From there, joint nation-wide manufacturing roadmaps will be developed for key new technologies. In addition, you will be involved in organizing harmonization of the inventory and risk assessments of materials used in ATMP production procedures.

You will be responsible for coordination of this work-package and work closely with the scientific and translational teams from the different Dutch institutes working on new non-viral engineering technologies. Furthermore, you will be involved in the development on novel ATMP technologies, validation design, documentation of the validation (plan, protocol and report), (partly) execution of the experiments, interpretation of data, the identification of appropriate follow up strategies and reporting of these activities. For this DARE-NL project, we are looking for an ambitious project coordinator with expertise and knowledge in cancer immunotherapy and genetic engineering of (immune) cells.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Coordinating and executing work-package ATMP New Technologies DARE-NL project.
• Mapping the landscape of new and future technologies for cellular therapy production.
• Setup knowledge exchange platform (exchange meetings, surveys, best practices, hurdles and inventory in the DARE-NL information system).
• Setup joint roadmaps and business plans for development, GMP-compliant manufacturing and implementation of key new technologies.
• Enumerate and list materials approved to be used in ATMP manufacturing in DARE-NL participating centres.
• Deliver common specifications and templates for risk assessment procedures ATMP raw materials, substances and disposables.
• Design and validate GMP-compliant non-viral gene and CRISPR/Cas engineering protocols.
• Works in a team with non-clinical and clinical PhD students, technicians, scientist and pharmacist.
• Writes scientific publications and presents findings at scientific meetings.

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic candidate with an interest in translating new non-viral engineering technologies to innovative cellular therapies. You work accurately, proactively and have a high sense of responsibility. You enjoy working in a dynamic, innovative, and national environment. You are flexible and have good organizational skills

Furthermore:

• You have a MSc (with at least 5 years (practical) experience in non-viral engineering and CRISPR/Cas technologies for cellular therapies) or PhD degree in immunology, molecular biology, or other related fields; affinity with the cell and gene therapy field is also a plus.
• Excellent (Dutch and English) communication skills and the ability to work in a multidisciplinary team (consisting of scientists, pharmacists, QA officers and technicians) are essential.
• Experience with non-viral transfection and CRISPR/Cas gene editing technologies is required.
• Experience with QA and GMP is advantageous but not required.

Fixed-term contract: 2 years with the prospect of extension.

Working at Radboud university medical center means that you are ahead of the curve and working together on the healthcare of the future. And there is more. Our secondary terms of employment are impressive. These are fully tailored to you thanks to our Employment Conditions Selection Model. At Radboud university medical center, you will be given trust, and you will take the responsibility to handle everything together. We provide annual courses, both professional and personal.

• In addition to your monthly salary and an annual vacation allowance of 8%, you will receive an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• If you work irregular hours, you will receive an allowance.
• As a full-time employee (36 hours per week), you are entitled to approximately 168 vacation hours (over 23 days) per year.
• Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. You pay the rest of the premium with your gross salary.
• You get a discount on health insurance as well: you can take advantage of two group health insurance plans. UMC Zorgverzekering and CZ collectief.

In addition to our terms of employment, we also offer employees various other attractive facilities, such as childcare and sports facilities. Want to learn more? Take a look at the Cao UMC.

Radboudumc

The DARE-NL Project coordinator Gene Editing technologies in Cellular Therapies will be embedded in the Translational Immunohematology research group of the Laboratory of Hematology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Our translational research program comprises five intermingled themes: 1) development of novel strategies to boost antitumor immunity after allogeneic stem cell transplantation, 2) co-signaling pathways involved in tumor immune escape, 3) DC-based vaccination strategies against hematological cancers, 4) NK cell-based immunotherapy against leukemia and ovarian cancer and 5) Early memory chimeric antigen receptor T cell-based immunotherapy against B cell malignancies. Our research is embedded in the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS). We provide a stimulating work environment within a group of enthusiastic non-clinical and clinical researchers with a strong national and international research network and track record.

Radboudumc
Radboud university medical center is a university medical center for patient care, scientific research, and education in Nijmegen. Radboud university medical center strives to be at the forefront of shaping the healthcare of the future. We do this in a person-centered and innovative way, and in close collaboration with our network. We want to have a significant impact on healthcare. We want to improve with each passing day, continuously working towards better healthcare, research, and education. And gaining a better understanding of how diseases arise and how we can prevent, treat, and cure them, day in and day out. This way, every patient always receives the best healthcare, now and in the future. Because that is why we do what we do.

Read more about our strategy and what working at Radboud university medical center means. Our colleagues would be happy to tell you about it. #weareradboudumc