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Vivarium Research Technician

Position Description

Juvena Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated Vivarium Research Technician to join our dynamic research team in Redwood City, CA. This role will contribute to the growth of our research portfolio by supporting vivarium operations to advance the development of novel rejuvenating therapies. This position is ideal for a talented, highly motivated and results driven individual who will thrive in a fast-paced, innovative, start-up environment. The individual will report to Senior Scientist/Director in vivo Pharmacology.

Company Summary

Juvena Therapeutics is on a mission to discover and develop biologics for rare and chronic degenerative diseases by mining the secretomes of human pluripotent stem cells through a machine learning (ML)-enhanced platform. Juvena’s approach integrates proteomics, transcriptomics and imaging with phenotypic human in vitro disease model screening and extensive preclinical validation to mine stem cell secretomes as a rich source of new medicines for chronic and rare diseases. We are advancing leads for muscular dystrophies, muscle atrophy, injury, and osteopathies. Since our launch in mid-2018, Juvena has discovered and validated 22 hits for neuromuscular, skeletal, and metabolic diseases. Juvena is advancing a lead program for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, a rare autosomal dominant, progressive muscle-wasting disease.

Juvena Therapeutics has secured venture capital, NIH, and CIRM funding to develop their top lead to a clinical-stage investigational new drug, to build their stem cell secretome database, and to leverage their discovery platform to rapidly identify and validate novel protein-based drug candidates for multiple rare and chronic diseases across inflammatory, cardiometabolic and hepatic therapeutic areas.

At Juvena we embrace a diversity of backgrounds, experience and approaches that all combine to lead us to world-class scientific results in an inclusive environment.

Company Location

640 Galveston Dr. Redwood City, 94063

Strong preference for onsite work at our office, but open to hybrid or remote working arrangements.

The candidate must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

Major Responsibilities

• Support in vivo studies by performing rodent handling, dosing (PO, IV, IP, SC, RO, IM), interim and terminal blood collections, perfusion, anesthesia, necropsy and tissue collection.
• Perform tests such as grip strength, and/or other functional tests based on research needs.
• Collect and analyze data from these tests to support ongoing studies
• Perform routine animal husbandry such as cage changing, feeding, health observations, animal receipt, and basic health treatments.
• Comply with study protocols, vivarium policies and IACUC guidelines.
• Maintain accurate records for animal health reports, cage cards, etc.
• Maintain the highest standards of animal welfare.

 Position Requirements & Experience

• BA with 1-3+ years of relevant experience in a laboratory animal facility
• Must be able to work weekends
• Hands-on experience in handling, dosing, blood sampling, and tissue harvest in mice
• Must have a general understanding of animal welfare regulations and of the importance of ethical use of animals in research
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently with minimal guidance
• This position is ideal for a talented, highly motivated and results driven individual who will thrive in a fast-paced, innovative, start-up environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in industry set up
• AALAS certification is preferred

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual bonus and stock options
• Health/Dental/Vision insurance
• Paid vacation and holidays 
• Partial 401K matching 
• Pay Range: $60,000 – $80,000 yearly

Apply Now

Please email your CV and Cover Letter to apply@juvenatherapeutics.com with the title of the position as the subject line.

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Scientist I – In Vivo Cardiometabolic & Muscle

Position Description

Juvena Therapeutics is seeking highly motivated in vivo Scientist to join the in vivo pharmacology team to support early preclinical validation of lead candidates. We are searching for a talented individual who is excited to work as a Scientist in an intimate and small team focused on the discovery, preclinical validation, and clinical translation of novel biologics for chronic and rare degenerative diseases across multiple therapeutic areas such as cardiometabolic, inflammation and muscle. The successful candidate should have extensive hands-on experience in surgeries, invasive and noninvasive imaging, including establishing, and characterizing pre-clinical cardiometabolic and inflammation models. The candidate should be able to design, execute & analyze in vivo efficacy studies independently. The scientific knowledge of the cardiometabolic, inflammation, & muscle-related areas is highly desired, as is the ability to present scientific data at in vivo and project-oriented  team meetings. The candidate will work collaboratively with various cross-functions within Juvena to support drug discovery projects with pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies as well as efficacy and MOA studies. Reporting to the Director of Translational Biology and Pharmacology, this individual will be involved in validating diverse drug candidates in Juvena’s pipeline as well as supporting external R&D partnerships with academic institutions and technology providers.  

Company Summary

Juvena Therapeutics is a venture backed biotechnology startup discovering and developing disease-modifying biologics by leveraging their computationally-driven discovery platform to rapidly identify and validate secreted proteins with regenerative potential for multiple rare and chronic diseases.

At Juvena Therapeutics, we are on a mission to discover and develop biologics for rare and chronic degenerative diseases by mapping secreted proteins to unmet medical needs through a machine learning (ML)-enhanced platform. Juvena’s approach integrates proteomics, transcriptomics and high content imaging with phenotypic human in vitro disease model screening and extensive preclinical validation to mine the therapeutic potential of human stem cell secretomes as a rich source of new medicines that promote tissue regeneration and repair. We are advancing lead drug candidates for muscular dystrophies, atrophy, injury, and osteopathies, and establishing new programs targeting tissue-specific degenerative diseases across metabolic related therapeutic areas. Since our launch in mid-2018, Juvena has discovered and validated several hits for neuromuscular, skeletal, and metabolic diseases. Juvena’ preclinical programs are supported by funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Juvena is advancing a lead program for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, a rare autosomal dominant, progressive muscle-wasting disease.

At Juvena we embrace a diversity of backgrounds, experience and approaches that all combine to lead us to world-class scientific results in an inclusive environment.

Company Location

640 Galveston Dr. Redwood City, 94063

Major Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to expand Juvena’s in vivo pharmacology capabilities across multiple organ model systems to support growth of our biologics platform
• Work closely with the preclinical team members to design and execute in vivo experiments to support research and development of Juvena’s drug candidates for cardiometabolic, inflammation & muscle diseases
• Involved in in vivo model(s) development  including surgical models, & in vivo efficacy studies for cardiometabolic and muscle diseases to deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced setting
• Execute experiments following IACUC protocols, laboratory procedures, and safety standards
• Must be proficient in murine handling, dosing (PO, IV, IP, SC), survival and terminal blood collection (SM, tail nick, cardiac puncture), and tissue harvesting at necropsy including fixation, freezing and tissue disaggregation to support ex vivo analyses        
• Experience in surgical skills for cardiometabolic models and imaging is required. Perform tissue processing for molecular, biochemical and histological analysis
• Carry out high throughput staining and image analysis
• Support IND-enabling studies for biologics, internally and externally via CRO project management across all phases of Juvena’s discovery and development
• Prepare presentations, technical reports, summaries, protocols
• Keep current with advances in the company’s area of research interest and lead journal club discussions of latest literature and research discoveries                    
• Contribute to a dynamic and exciting culture that embraces teamwork and innovation

Position Requirements and Experience

• M.S or Ph.D degree in biology, physiology, pharmacology or related field with 3+ years of industry experience (or equivalent). Post-doctoral experience is preferable, but not required.
• Surgical skills, and in vivo imaging experience is required. 
• Responsible for maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare and ethical compliance as well as data integrity
• Highly self-motivated, independent, and driven to succeed with strong interpersonal, communication and organization skills.
• Excellent hands-on in vivo skills 
• Can work with a diverse team in a highly collaborative growth environment with very strong communication 
• The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Documented experience in regenerative medicine
• Successful track record of indication selection and prioritization analyses 
• Understanding of how in vivo pharmacology data fits into bioinformatics and machine learning applications for drug discovery, target identification and disease model validation
• Direct experience in managing IND-enabling studies with significant contribution to FDA-approved INDs 
• Familiarity with pre-commercial process

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual bonus and stock options
• Health/Dental/Vision insurance
• Paid vacation and holidays 
• Partial 401K matching

Apply for the Position

Apply to this Job through the following means: 

• LinkedIn job posting
• Website job posting

Please email your CV and Cover Letter to apply@juvenatherapeutics.com with the title of the position as the subject line.