Description of Team/Department (optional):
 

One of Canada's Top 10 Research Hospitals, Sunnybrook Research Institute is developing innovations in care for the more than 1.3 million patients the hospital cares for annually.

Sunnybrook Research Institute is the research enterprise of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. Research spans three Toronto-based campuses, eight programs and three scientific platforms. Our main aims are to understand and prevent disease, and to develop treatments that enhance and extend life. Our vision is to invent the future of health care. Each year, we conduct about $100 million in research across 500,000 square feet, including in the world’s first Centre for Research in Image-Guided Therapeutics.

Position Summary: The technician will join a growing team that is involved in cancer research. The technician will assist in various cancer research projects using standard tissue culture and molecular genetic techniques and procedures. Some experiments will be performed with mice. The technician will also be responsible for ordering and maintaining supplies and preparing solutions.

Summary of Duties:

• Ideal candidate will have excellent record keeping skills, and be self-motivated, detail-oriented and work well in team (within lab and clinical environments).
• Position will require processing of patient biofluid specimens, reagent ordering, and lab management.
• Strong interpersonal, time management and organizational skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and attention to detail.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities: 

80%       Assisting with overall research objectives of the lab by the:

1. culturing, transfecting, and freezing of human and animal cells.
2. Isolation of genomic DNA for subsequent analysis (DNA purification, PCR amplification, cloning)
3. Isolation of cancer cells from mice
4. Creating expression plasmids and purification of recombinant protein from E.Coli using basic molecular biological techniques.
5. assistance with other immunological and molecular biology techniques (e.g. ELISAs, western blots).
6. Maintaining mouse lines (updating mouse inventory notebook, genotyping and breeding mice

20%       General laboratory management:

1. Ordering of supplies and keeping records of orders
2. Keeping laboratory organized
3. Managing the maintenance of equipment
4. autoclaving of biohazardous waste
5. managing the maintenance of stock solutions and growth media

Qualifications:

• BSc degree in life sciences, cell and molecular biology are preferred; new graduates

encouraged to apply.

• Previous experience: biobanking and processing of patient biofluid samples, mammalian cell

culture, and standard cellular assays.