Cell Therapy Research Scientist

Who We Are

Arovella Therapeutics (ASX: ALA) is a biotechnology company focused on developing its invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapy platform to treat blood cancers and solid tumours, and is among few companies globally working with this unique cell type. Arovella’s lead product, ALA-101, consists of iNKT cells engineered to express a CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) for the treatment of CD19 lymphomas and leukemias. ALA-101 is being developed as an allogeneic cell therapy, which means it can be produced from healthy donor cells, manufactured at scale and delivered to multiple patients off-the-shelf. ALA-101 is advancing to clinic with a phase I clinical trial expected to commence in FY2025. Arovella’s preclinical pipeline extends to solid tumour programs, where our current assets include a Claudin 18.2-targeting CAR and interleukin (IL)-12 cytokine armouring technology (IL-12-TM), with continued focus on the strategic acquisition of innovative technologies that can strengthen our cell therapy platform.

Armouring CAR-iNKT cells with IL-12-TM is one of Arovella’s strategies to further enhance and differentiate its platform to tackle solid tumours. IL-12-TM is a modified version of IL-12, which has been modified to include a ‘membrane anchor’, thereby localising its effect and preventing release into the patient’s bloodstream. In preclinical studies, CAR-iNKT cells expressing IL-12-TM have shown increased proliferation, persistence, favourable effector memory profile and improved anti-tumour efficacy in solid tumour models. Arovella licensed the IL-12-TM technology from The University of North Carolina (UNC) in 2023 and has an active research collaboration with the laboratory of Professor Gianpietro Dotti at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Immunotherapy Program.

We are seeking a motivated and suitably experienced Cell Therapy Research Scientist to join the Arovella team to conduct research and development activities in the lab of Professor Gianpietro Dotti at UNC-Chapel Hill, as part of a joint research program focused on the incorporation of IL-12-TM technology into our CAR-iNKT cell platform to tackle solid tumours.

Our Culture

Based in Melbourne, Australia, and with partners in Europe and the United States, the Arovella team is lean and prides itself on our positive and collaborative work culture centred on trust and integrity, where contributions from each member are supported and valued. We are passionate about the work that we do developing unique therapies to help people live longer and healthier lives.

The Role

Exciting opportunity for a skilled research scientist to join our Australian biotech company on an industry secondment to The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Immunotherapy Program at The University of North Carolina, USA. The Cell Therapy Research Scientist will report to the Director of Research and Development at Arovella and work closely with scientists and management in the Dotti lab, UNC. While there is a strong focus on laboratory work, the role will involve leadership and management of the IL-12-TM program for Arovella, and will therefore be most suited to either a postdoctoral researcher or an experienced research officer with prior cell therapy experience.

Responsibilities and desired attributes include but are not limited to:

• Designing and performing laboratory experiments, with a focus on engineering iNKT and T cells with CARs and accessory molecules such as IL-12-TM, performing characterisation and assessing their function.
• Prior experience with molecular cloning, viral vector production, processing and culture of primary cells and relevant samples, in vitro co-culture assays, flow cytometry, immune assays, and murine tumour models are essential.
• Prior experience with CAR-T manufacturing, process optimisation and functional characterisation are highly desirable but not essential.
• Experimental design, data collection, data analysis and project management.
• Preparation of conference presentations (oral or poster presentations) and attendance at key scientific meetings.
• Report writing and organised documentation.

The Cell Therapy Research Scientist will have the opportunity to contribute to broader Arovella project teams across preclinical and clinical programs and to strategic planning activities. Projects range from novel technology identification, preclinical development, process development and technology transfer, and translational studies from our planned phase I clinical trial for ALA-101.

To be successful in this role 

Arovella is seeking candidates with subject matter expertise in cellular immunotherapies, T or NKT cell biology to join our growing team. Preferred candidates will be able to demonstrate results and impact through:

• Bachelor’s degree, Masters, PhD in a relevant discipline with specific demonstrable expertise in at least one of: cellular immunology, molecular biology, cancer cell biology, immunotherapy.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in cell engineering, ideally with specific expertise in manipulation of primary T or NKT cells and/or advanced cell therapy product characterisation.
• Excellent verbal and written English technical communication skills.
• Excellent record keeping and documentation.
• Sound working knowledge and acute awareness of safety regulations and operating procedures within the laboratory environment including experience working with human origin and patient derived materials, carcinoma cell lines, and laboratory animals.
• Demonstrated ability to organise and prioritise work, sometimes under time pressure.

In applying please provide a CV and a cover letter that addresses the key selection criteria.

Please note that this position will be based at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill campus and may require occasional travel to Melbourne, Australia.

Applications close 15^th November

* We will not be liable for any fees and cost associated with unsolicited CVs sent to us from recruitment agencies.

https://www.arovella.com