Research Technician II - PDX Core

at  Baylor College of Medicine

SUMMARY

The Patient-derived Xenograft and Advanced In vivo Models Core is an Advanced Technology Core Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine which provides the resources necessary for laboratories to establish patient-derived tumor models in animals. This position will provide responsible and skilled technical assistance in support of research projects by performing animal handling techniques and procedures related to the creation, maintenance, and preclinical testing of PDX models.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in a Basic Science or related field. Four years of related experience may substitute for degree requirement.
• No experience required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• One year or more related experience.
• Has excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Experience handling animals is highly desirable.
• Oversees the maintenance of lab equipment and environment.
• Able to work in a team environment.
• Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and GraphPad software.
• Has fluency in verbal and written communication in English language.
  Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Equal Access Employer.

• Maintains PDX models and performs preclinical studies.
• Inventories animal colony and determines weekly research needs (use of PDX tumors).
• Performs blood collection, surgical procedures, caliper measurements, and other manipulations on rodents.
• Administers treatments to rodents by oral gavage, intraperitoneal injection, tail vein injection, or subcutaneous injection.
• Evaluates and studies design prior to implementation and analyzes collected data prior to finalizing reports.
• Manages PDX Inventory.
• Prepares and conducts laboratory research experiments for research labs utilizing PDX models.
• Collects, compiles, and critically analyzes PDX research data utilizing database programs.
• Characterizes PDX models by immunohistochemistry, short tandem repeat assays, and growth characteristics.
• Fulfills orders for PDX related tissue entered into iLab by identifying appropriate specimen, works on packaging specimen for shipping, and bills the researchers once the request is complete.
• Prepares for downstream assays.
• Becomes proficient in nucleic acid and protein extraction, cell culture techniques, flow cytometry, PCR, and other molecular biology techniques.
• Conducts literature searches and summarizes information in an appropriate format for a particular study.
• Completes procedures and properly record results.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.