About the startup

Siolta Therapeutics is a clinical-stage microbiome company fundamentally altering the therapeutic landscape of chronic inflammatory diseases by leveraging its deep knowledge of the human microbiome to develop FDA-approved live biotherapeutic products (LBPs). Siolta Therapeutics is developing defined-consortia live biotherapeutic products that target the core drivers of disease. By leveraging our proprietary Precision Symbiotics Platform™, we have successfully advanced multiple programs into clinical and preclinical development.

The founding team from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has an extensive history of academic research and peer-reviewed publications within the microbiome field. Our lead program, STMC-103H, is in phase 2 clinical development for the prevention of atopic diseases, including atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and asthma. We are also advancing two preclinical programs, STMC-105 and STMC-106, targeting recurrent bacterial vaginosis and necrotizing enterocolitis indications for which there are no FDA-approved products.

Our unique manufacturing capabilities have set us apart from other players in our ability to manufacture safe pharmaceutical-grade complex anaerobic organisms. We have successfully scaled up a multi-strain drug product for STMC-103H (>150K capsules), completed a First-In-Human safety clinical trial in children and adults, and received a Fast Track Designation from the US FDA. Siolta has also been awarded multiple NIH grants to further optimize its large-scale proprietary LBP manufacturing methods and advance our preclinical programs.

The opportunity

Siolta is looking for a candidate to support one of the following projects:

Primary responsibility

1.    Design, setup, and run bioreactor and lyophilization studies. Track the growth of bacterial strains and enumerate bacteria using serial dilution and agar plating techniques.  Summarize study design, in process data, and cell viability data for supervisor and team discussions.  Iterate experiments and adjust variables to determine optimum conditions to maximize viable cell yields. Ensure purity through contaminant testing.

2.    Design, set up, and perform in vitro bacteria-host cell interaction screening assays. Culture and maintain human-derived eukaryotic cells (epithelial and/or immune cells) and candidate therapeutic bacterial cells. Evaluate purity, concentration, and viability of cells prior to assay setup.  Evaluate microbe-host interactions by quantifying reporter activities using ELISA and or plate-based spectrophotometer endpoints.

about you

The ideal candidate has studied and performed lab-based research in microbiology, microbiome science, molecular biology, cell culture, and/or bioprocess development. The candidate shows interest in the microbiome field and microbe-host interactions, and/or fermentation science. Experience in aseptic techniques and understanding of how to successfully manipulate both eukaryotic cell lines and bacteria in the lab is required.

Pluses

• The candidate should care about attention to detail given the nature of the microbiology lab work.

• The candidate should display well-developed communication skills and enjoy teamwork to successfully collaborate with colleagues, convey complex information, and present their findings.

• The candidate should enjoy problem solving and critical thinking.

• The candidate must be adaptable and able to navigate uncertainty as research approaches and plans can change based on unexpected results or evolving project requirements.