Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education · 3 months ago
WRAIR - Optimization and Evaluation of mRNA Platform Technology Research Inernship
Silver Spring, MD
Full-time
Onsite
New GradThe Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is offering a post bachelor's internship at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command - Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The role focuses on optimizing mRNA platform technology for infectious diseases, involving tasks such as designing mRNA transcripts, purifying mRNA molecules, and evaluating their effectiveness in vitro and in vivo.
Government Administration
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Under the guidance of a mentor and as the selected candidate, you will learn how to apply algorithms to predict parts of coding and noncoding sequences for optimization
Designed mRNA transcripts will be produced by standard molecular biological techniques, i.e. plasmid DNA isolation, PCR amplification of templates and mRNA in vitro transcription reactions (IVT)
You will gain experience using standard methods to purify mRNA molecules to homogeneity and evaluate them for quality
The final mRNA products will be assessed in in vitro assays for expression levels, and cellular localization
In addition to the in vitro assessment, you will engage in the evaluation of mRNAs in vivo in mice to determine effectiveness of the approach
These studies will be used to identify basic features of mRNA transcripts that enhance mRNA stability and efficiency of translation
Qualification
Required
The qualified candidate will have earned a bachelor's degree in bioengineering or biomedical engineering, biochemistry, structural biology, immunology or other eligible STEM discipline within 24 months of the appointment start date
Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
Degree: Bachelor's Degree received within the last 24 month(s)
Discipline(s): Engineering, Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Life Health and Medical Sciences
Preferred
Highly competitive applicants will have education and/or experience in one or more of the following: Biochemistry - buffer preparation and general methods for purification proteins, molecular biology techniques to isolate DNA, RNA, and cell biology
Cell culture techniques such as sterile technique
Basic skills in nucleic acid quantitation's, i.e. gels and spectrophotometry
Benefits
Health Insurance Supplement (Participants are eligible to purchase health insurance through ORISE)
Relocation Allowance
Training and Travel Allowance
Company
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is a U.S.
Founded in 1992
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageCompany data provided by crunchbase