Scientist/ Senior Scientist - Translational Cardiac Biology

Job description

Until is a moonshot company building a “pause button” for biology. Our near-term focus is organ-scale reversible cryopreservation: preserving donated organs at subzero temperatures without ice formation, then rewarming them uniformly for transplant. By solving this grand challenge, we’re laying the foundation for whole-body reversible cryopreservation, giving patients a bridge to future cures. To achieve our goal, we are assembling an interdisciplinary team to develop perfusion systems, cryoprotectant formulations, and vitrification and rewarming hardware. We envision a future where no transplantable organ is lost to logistics, and no terminal diagnosis is final because patients can safely wait for future medicine to arrive. **About the Role** We are seeking a Scientist/Senior Scientist, Translational Cardiac Biology to join our team. You will be part of a multidisciplinary team that designs, builds, and characterizes new technologies that form the foundation of organ-scale reversible cryopreservation. In this role, you will advance cryopreservation formulations by designing, executing, and analyzing high throughput experiments focused on cardiac biology and toxicology. You will establish novel approaches to characterize toxicity and permeability of new cryoprotectant solutions using cardiac cells (hiPSC-CMs, immortalized cells) and advanced 3D in vitro cardiac models. Your work will pioneer the use of predictive 2D and 3D models for toxicity assessment, helping enable human-sized organ preservation and bridging patients to future cures. ### Key Responsibilities - Develop clinically translatable healthy in vitro models using primary/immortalized cardiac cells, including iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes - Design and implement high throughput screening (HTS) experiments to characterize the viability and functional performance of cardiac cells using MEA, calcium imaging, impedance-based readouts - Create and validate complex in vitro 3D cardiac models (e.g., organoids, engineered heart tissues, micro-tissues) to accurately assess cardiotoxicity and permeability of new cryoprotectant solutions - Develop innovative approaches to characterize cardiotoxicity of new compounds and their interactions with healthy heart function, including functional endpoints such as contractility, electrophysiology, and calcium handling - Apply plate-reader, flow cytometry based and/or genomics techniques such as GWAS, RNAseq, and FISH to inform and refine molecular discovery and in vitro models - Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to translate experimental findings into new cryoprotectant solutions for human-sized organ preservation - Recruit and mentor team members and take on greater responsibility for experimental design and strategy as needed ### Who You Are - PhD and/or Postdoc training in Cardiac Physiology, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Tissue Engineering, Pharmacology, Toxicology or a related field, or have an equivalent (4+ years) of industry experience leading research projects end-to-end - Have a track record of scientific excellence and autonomy, with the ability to independently develop and carry out complex experiments in cardiac biology or a related therapeutic area - Hands-on expertise in cell-based assay development, including experience with primary cells, iPSC-derived cell types, or 3D in vitro models - Proven ability to design and execute high throughput screening workflows and analyze multiparametric datasets - Bring a collaborative mindset and value diverse perspectives - Thrive fast-paced environments with high sense of mission and urgency **Nice to have** - Experience evaluating pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, with the ability to apply these frameworks to cryoprotectant formulation development - Experience with cardiac electrophysiology, contractility measurement, or calcium imaging techniques - Publication record in peer-reviewed journals in cardiac biology, cryobiology, toxicology, or related fields ### Benefits - Opportunity for outsized impact creating the future as an early team member - Generous medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage for employees and their dependents - Flexible time off and paid holidays - Competitive compensation package, including salary and equity - Access to a 401(k) retirement savings plan - FSA and commuter benefits - Subsidized lunch daily