What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Associate II, Antibody Discovery position at Stipple Bio?
About Stipple Bio:
Stipple Bio, Inc. is a private biotechnology company harnessing epitope-level precision to create targeted cancer therapies. We pioneered a Pointillist ‘epitomics’ discovery platform to unlock tumor-specific epitopes and develop a pipeline of next-generation precision oncology therapeutics with a high therapeutic index. Our lead candidate STP-100, designed to avoid on-target/off-tumor toxicity, is expected to enter clinical studies in early 2027. Stipple Bio is well capitalized and has announced a $100M Series A financing which supports the company into 2029.
Position Summary:
The Senior Research Associate, Antibody Discovery role at Stipple Bio is a BS/MS level scientist position within the Research department, reporting to the Director, Target & Antibody Discovery. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this individual will play a critical hands-on role in the discovery and biochemical and cell-based characterization of therapeutic antibodies, ADCs, and TCEs. Critical thinking and ability to derive insights from data are key. The successful candidate will bring a sense of urgency and commitment to help Stipple Bio deliver patient life changing medicines.
Job Duties:
- Design and execute flow cytometry experiments to assay antibody binding to cancer cell lines and primary cell types
- Conduct antibody characterization studies, including target validation, binding kinetics (BLI/ELISA), epitope binning and internalization
- Design and perform molecular cloning to generate plasmids for overexpression of genes of interest (GOI) and gene knockdown/knockout using siRNA and/or sgRNA
- Perform cell-based mechanism of action and functional studies
- Support antibody screening, humanization and affinity maturation efforts
- Analyze, interpret, and present experimental data; maintain accurate and detailed documentation
Qualifications:
Required
- BS with 3 years or MS with 1 year of biotech/pharma industry experience in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Immunology, or a related scientific discipline
- Strong hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and flow cytometry
- Hands-on experience with ELISA and/or BLI
- Experience with cell-based functional assays (e.g., internalization, cytotoxicity, cancer biology)
- Solid understanding of molecular biology techniques (e.g., cloning, plasmid preparation)
- Willingness and ability to learn and develop new technologies and assays
- Proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g., FlowJo, GraphPad Prism)
Preferred
- Experience with phage and/or yeast display technologies
- Familiarity with antibody engineering or discovery workflows
- Experience with ADC or TCE assays
- Working knowledge of CRISPR based methodologies
Personal attributes: team oriented, goal-driven, organized, highly collaborative, open-minded, data-driven, creative, persistent in the face of obstacles and uncertainty, flexible, self-aware of strengths and weaknesses, objective in the evaluation of data and strongly optimistic about overcoming challenges.