A/Professor Meg Barnet is a clinician researcher, working as Staff Specialist in medical oncology treating gastrointestinal cancers and as a post-doctoral scientist in the Immunogenomic Lab (led by Christopher Goodnow). Her work focuses on germline determinants of response to immunotherapy in cancer. In a commercial collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company, this project is a translational extension of the Exceptional Responders program. Building on a germline finding in outlier patients with lung cancer treated with immunotherapy, the project is developing a small molecule inhibitor (oral drug) which blocks an innate immune pathway, in mouse models of cancer. The candidate will work closely with A/Prof Barnet’s team within a well-supported lab to characterise activity of the drug in mouse models of immunotherapy and radiotherapy, with the aim of supporting progression of the drug to first-in-human clinical trials.

Dr Etienne Masle-Farquhar is a postdoctoral scientist in the Computational Genomics Lab (led by Prof Joseph Powell), within the Translational Genomics Program. The Powell Lab is a world leader in single-cell genetics. Supported by the NSW OHMR, NHMRC, Exceptional Responders and HOPE Programs, Dr Masle-Farquhar’s growing Arthritis Immunogenomics team is studying the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, with a focus on arthritic diseases: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, gout and others. We are building a Biobank that is unique within NSW, of precious tissue samples that are normally discarded during patients’ hospital procedures. We are applying cutting-edge immunology, genomics and multiomics methods to tissue samples, to reveal the underlying drivers of disease. We are launching pre-clinical studies to study mechanisms and personalized treatments in mouse models of arthritis. We aim to radically improve upon current methods of prognosticating, monitoring and treating these debilitating diseases.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a 1.0 FTE, one-year fixed term position, with the possibility of extension, in a split appointment between two close collaborators, A/Prof Megan Barnet and Dr Etienne Masle-Farquhar. This role provides exposure to a multidisciplinary and diverse team of scientists, clinicians, and project managers. It provides diverse opportunities for scientific andprofessional growth.

You will work with two well-financed, growing teams:

Cancer Immunogenomics (0.5 FTE): Immunotherapy has significantly changed outcomes for patients with cancer, however, the majority of patients with metastatic cancer still do not respond to treatment and die from progressive disease. We prospectively recruited patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with immunotherapy to a clinical study and showed disproportionate mutation within a specific immune pathway. Now, we are partnering with a major pharmaceutical company to test an oral drug that blocks this pathway in mouse models of cancer. Our team has established a model to assess response of cancer cell lines to (1) intra-peritoneal immunotherapy and (2) external beam radiotherapy, with or without the additional drug. The aim of the project is to support progression of the drug to first-in-human trials.

Arthritis Immunogenomics (0.5 FTE): Arthritic diseases affect 1 in 10 people worldwide, with dramatic effects on the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of patients and their families. We are utilising cutting-edge technologies to study precious clinical samples including blood, synovial fluid, tissue and other samples – which are normally discarded during clinical procedures but can be repurposed as precious investigative resources. Our novel technologies are identifying biomarkers and pathogenic cellular or molecular pathways, to inform development of novel Biologics and therapies. This requires rigorous investigation of arthritis treatments in mouse models.

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant to support our biobanking and pre-clinical mouse work, in a growing team dedicated to transforming understanding and treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Salary: Up to $87,000 + 14% superannuation + salary packaging (depending on experience)

Employment Type: 1-year fixed-term contract

SNAPSHOT OF BENEFITS

Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)

Ample opportunities for on-going training and development

Stimulating, diverse and highly international research environment

Flexible work arrangements e.g. start / finish times

18 weeks paid parental leave for both parents including paid superannuation

A range of additional leave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, community service and study leave

Discounted Health Insurance

Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

WHAT YOU WILL DO

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Key responsibilities include:

0.5 FTE with Meg

Assisting: pre-clinical mouse studies of cancer, including tissue culture, tumour inoculation, animal monitoring, sedation, oral gavage, intra-peritoneal injections, radiation, harvest and biobanking. Flexible work hours for occasional weekend work an advantage.

Assisting: functional and genomics assays, including flow cytometry,microscopy, tissue culture, bulk or single-cell DNA, RNA and protein sequencing assays.

0.5 FTE with Etienne

Leading: pre-clinical mouse studies of arthritis, including colony management, mouse surgical procedures and monitoring during testing of novel therapies developed in collaboration between Arthritis Immunogenomics and the Garvan Biologics Platform.

Assisting: the receipt, processing and secure biobanking of clinical samples and
associated metadata, including coordinating their receipt, distribution to internal and
external service providers, and rigorous data management.

Assisting: flow cytometry, microscopy, tissue culture, bulk or single-cell DNA, RNA and protein sequencing assays.

Both teams:

Developing and adapting our Standard Operating Procedures, consistent with institutional best-practice guidelines and with a view to continually improving efficiency and quality.

Regular attendance and contributions to internal and external meetings.

General lab operations including ordering consumables and equipment maintenance.

Active contributions to our highly social, inclusive, and dedicated working environment.

ABOUT YOU

The key skills and experience include:

A strong passion for cancer and/or arthritis research, and an appreciation of how this can improve patient lives and benefit the community.

A Bachelor's Degree in a scientific discipline, with First Class Honours or equivalent.

2 or more years of formal experience with mouse pre-clinical studies, and ideally with flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and cell-culture experiments.

Experience with and rigorous management of mouse colonies and mating strategies, general mouse handling and basic surgery procedures.

Familiarity with ethics/governance, monitoring, safety and other standard operating procedures relating to detailed investigations of pre-clinical mouse models.

Rigour, attention to detail, problem-solving skills and a results-oriented approaches.

Autonomous, organised, and self-motivated, with an ability to learn quickly and work
independently.

Strong verbal and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to effectively document and present work internally and externally, and contribute to academic and technical documents.

Highly collaborative, with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships
within and between teams, and engage in complex discussions remotely through the use of collaborative tools (eg. Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Airtable).

Desired:

Experience with primary human sample processing and storage, basic methods including general lab practices, flow cytometry, DNA/RNA extractions, and if possible single-cell genomics assays.

Experience with tissue sectioning, immunohistochemistry and imaging techniques to study mouse tissue samples (e.g. bone, synovium, skin, tumours).

Experience in analysing flow cytometry, ELISA, bulk- and single-cell genomics data.

ABOUT GARVAN

Garvan Institute of Medical Research is an independent Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Sydney, delivering scientific and clinical impact on a global basis and in partnership with organisations that share our vision. We are proud to be one of Australia’s largest and most highly regarded MRI’s.

Our vision is global leadership in discoveries to impact and our enduring purpose is to impact human health, by harnessing information encoded in our genome.

We seek to see our world-class discovery research achieve life-changing impacts, not only for individual patients with rare diseases, but for the many thousands affected by complex, common disease.

Garvan promotes a diverse workplace and is committed to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We are always looking for culture ‘add’, not culture ‘fit’ and are building diverse teams with great sets of complementary styles and skills to help deliver our important work effectively.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this position, please submit your application with a CV and cover letter as one document, stating why you are interested in this role. We are reviewing applications as they are received. If you think you’re the right person for this role, we’d love to hear how your capabilities, achievements and experience set you apart. Only applicants with full working rights in Australia are eligible to apply for this role.