The Staff Research Associate (SRA) position will be involved in research with Dr. Robert Warren, the principal investigator of the Surgical Oncology Research Lab. The SRA will conduct research related to growth of organoids as models to study targeted therapeutics against cancers of the gastrointestinal system in humans, and will be expected to pick up specimens of gastrointestinal tumors directly from surgeries. Under the direction of Dr. Warren, the SRA will take the specimen to the laboratory and dissociate the tumor into cells using enzymes. The cells will be placed into low adherence tissue culture plates in which they will aggregate to form clusters that are called organoids. The organoids will next be transferred into multiwell culture plates and there will be exposed to drugs. The drugs will be dispensed into the multiwell plates using a robotic drug dispenser, which the SRA will learn to use. The ability of any drug to affect the viability of the organoid will be assayed microscopically and by using a kit that assays the ATP content of the organoids: viable organoids can produce ATP whereas dead organoids cannot.
The SRA will be taught to use the microscope and the software associated with it to determine the size and viability of the organoids and likewise the use of the ATP assay kit. In addition, the SRA will be taught classical, sterile tissue culture techniques in order to permit the growth and culture of tumor cells that are maintained in long-term culture.
These cultured cells will also be tested for their responsiveness to drugs when grown in the absence or presence of other cell types such as fibroblasts and immune cells.
This position will also be responsible for ordering reagents/supplies, maintaining laboratory records, maintaining lab safety, handling equipment repair orders and maintenance.
Note: This position requires a physical/health screening.
The final salary and offer components are subject to additional approvals based on UC policy.
To see the salary range for this position (we recommend that you make a note of the job code and use that to look up): TCS Non-Academic Titles Search (https://tcs.ucop.edu/non-academic-titles)
Please note: An offer will take into consideration the experience of the final candidate AND the current salary level of individuals working at UCSF in a similar role.
For roles covered by a bargaining unit agreement, there will be specific rules about where a new hire would be placed on the range.
To learn more about the benefits of working at UCSF, including total compensation, please visit: https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html