About Us

Orion Medicines is an innovative biotech startup focused on AI-powered technology innovation and drug discovery. Our mission is to revolutionize the fields of biomedical sciences, oncology, and cardiovascular diseases using our cutting-edge Orion AI platform. By leveraging this platform, we aim to minimize risks in drug development, accelerate the drug discovery process, and continuously enable the discovery of novel therapies.

Position

As a Research Associate in the Protein Production group, you will be a crucial member of our interdisciplinary team, comprising highly creative and talented individuals with exceptional expertise in protein expression, purification, and characterization. This group is responsible for generating target proteins for structural drug discovery efforts and protein-based hits and lead molecules. You will work collaboratively with protein designers, biologists, and other drug discovery team members.

About You

You are an enthusiastic protein biochemist who takes pride in your bench execution skills. You enjoy mentoring and teaching junior members at Orion. Your passion lies in drug discovery and developing novel treatments for patients. You are conscientious, detail-oriented, and organized. Collaboration comes naturally to you, and you thrive in a fast-paced environment where pushing the boundaries of what is possible is the norm.

What You'll Do and Learn

• Clone genes in vectors for prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression.
• Express proteins in E. coli, yeast, cell-free, and mammalian expression systems.
• Purify soluble and membrane proteins using AKTA (and other) purification systems.
• Characterize proteins by electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), spectroscopic (UV, fluorescence), interaction (BLI/SPR), and identity (MS) methods.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot protein reagents. 
• Utilize automation systems to ensure efficient and precise execution of experiments.
• Maintain accurate and detailed records of experiments, protocols, and results in accordance with company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Interpret and present scientific findings at research meetings. Provide scientific input and propose follow-up experiments.
• Collaborate and communicate across diverse research teams to successfully achieve scientific goals.
• Contribute to scientific publications, patents, and presentations to disseminate research findings both internally and externally.

Qualifications

• Bachelor and/or Master of Science degree in biochemistry, molecular biology or relevant field.
• 10 years of industrial experience.
• Experience in protein purification techniques (including affinity, ion exchange, HIC, SEC) and in chromatography hardware and software (Cytiva AKTA, Agilent HPLC).
• Proficiency in molecular and cell biology techniques, including mammalian tissue cell culture, and basic skills in molecular biology labs.
• Experience in analyzing protein-protein interactions on biosensor (SPR and/or BLI).
• Flow cytometry experience in examining protein binding to cells. 
• Functional analysis of proteins in cell assays (reporter and/or primary assays)
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively present complex scientific concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment, fostering cooperation and knowledge-sharing among team members.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor junior research associates.

Nice to have Skill(s)

• Experience in using automation to generate high throughput small-scale (<1mg) antibodies and related molecules.
• Experience using LIMS and Benchling systems.
• Substantial experience with DNA synthesis and protein production CROs.