Cell Surface Protein ORF Screening Intern

We are Deliverome Bio, a nonprofit research organization in Cambridge, MA developing new approaches to targeted drug delivery. We’re seeking a junior or senior undergraduate or graduate student to help identify cell surface proteins that can transport therapeutic cargo into cells.

You’ll work closely with our scientists on large-scale screens using libraries of cells engineered to express different surface proteins. These experiments measure how proteins internalize bound molecules, distinguish surface binding from cellular uptake, and identify promising targets for delivering medicines into specific cells.

Responsibilities

Maintain and engineer mammalian cell lines, including HEK293 and suspension cell lines such as K562, Jurkat, U937, and NALM6.

Perform lentiviral transduction, fluorescent labeling, and assays to measure cell surface expression and internalization.

Analyze cells using our Beckman Coulter CytoFLEX S flow cytometer and isolate populations using our Sony MA900 cell sorter.

Use Nikon fluorescence microscopy and the Incucyte SX5 live-cell imaging system to characterize uptake and validate screening hits.

Perform genomic DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing sample preparation to identify enriched constructs from pooled screens.

Analyze results, troubleshoot and optimize assays, and maintain clear experimental records.

As a nonprofit, we aim to share useful datasets and methods openly so other researchers can build on our work. You’ll gain experience connecting large-scale screening results to follow-up experiments that test potential delivery targets.

Minimum requirements

Junior or senior undergraduate or graduate student in biology, bioengineering, biochemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, chemical engineering, or a related field.

Prior laboratory research experience beyond coursework, with demonstrated ability to execute experiments independently after training.

Hands-on experience maintaining mammalian cell cultures using sterile technique.

Experience with flow cytometry or fluorescence microscopy, including sample preparation and basic data analysis.

Experience with molecular biology techniques, including PCR and DNA extraction.

Strong attention to detail, experimental organization, and ability to troubleshoot unexpected results and communicate findings.

Preferred qualifications

Experience with lentiviral transduction, cell sorting, high-throughput or pooled genetic screening, or sequencing sample preparation is strongly preferred. Python or R skills for data analysis are a plus. Experience with the exact instrument models listed above is helpful but not required.