Associate Scientist/Scientist, Process Development (Cell Therapy)
Location: Tokyo & Yokohama, Japan (On-site)
Compensation: ¥8,500,000–¥12,500,000 JPY + bonus + benefits
Advance the Future of Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapy
Helix BioSearch is partnering with an innovative biotechnology company developing next-generation iPSC-derived cell therapies with the potential to transform treatment for cancer and other serious diseases.
As the company continues to scale its manufacturing platform, they are seeking an Associate Scientist or Scientist, Process Development to support the optimization, transfer and industrialization of a proprietary stem cell manufacturing process.
This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on scientist who enjoys working at the bench while contributing directly to the development of robust, scalable manufacturing processes for cutting-edge cell therapies.
The Opportunity
Working closely with Research, Process Development and external manufacturing partners, you will play a key role in advancing manufacturing processes from laboratory development through technology transfer. You'll be involved in process optimization, troubleshooting, documentation and generating high-quality experimental data that supports future clinical manufacturing.
This position is primarily laboratory-based and offers exposure to both early process development and CMC activities within a fast-growing international biotech environment.
Key Responsibilities
Culture, maintain and differentiate human iPSCs using established protocols
Design and execute experiments to improve process robustness, reproducibility and scalability
Support technology transfer activities with external manufacturing partners
Troubleshoot process performance and identify opportunities for optimization
Generate clear technical documentation including protocols, reports and batch records
Collaborate with cross-functional scientific and manufacturing teams to support process development milestones
What We're Looking For
BS, MS or PhD in Cell Biology, Immunology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering or a related discipline
Approximately 2+ years of hands-on mammalian cell culture experience (graduate research considered)
Experience culturing human iPSCs or other pluripotent stem cells
Strong aseptic laboratory technique and experimental documentation skills
Excellent problem-solving abilities with a collaborative approach to scientific development
Professional working proficiency in English
Highly desirable skills include:
Experience with iPSC differentiation, particularly immune or hematopoietic cell lineages
T-cell culture or cell therapy process development experience
Technology transfer or manufacturing development exposure
Flow cytometry and cell characterization experience
Experience working within GMP or quality-controlled environments
Why Apply?
Competitive salary of ¥8.5M–¥12.5M JPY
Join a rapidly growing international cell therapy company
Work on pioneering iPSC-derived therapeutic technologies
Significant hands-on scientific responsibility with strong career development opportunities
Collaborate with leading researchers and manufacturing partners to help bring next-generation cell therapies to patients
If you're passionate about stem cell biology, process development and translating cutting-edge science into scalable therapeutics, we'd love to hear from you.