Lab Assistant

The UCSF Hair Analytical Laboratory (HAL) – based in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine – analyzes antiretroviral, anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB), antibiotic, and controlled substance concentrations in small hair samples (but may include other biological specimens such as plasma, serum, whole blood, dried blood spot (DBS), urine, nail, etc.) as biomarkers of adherence and exposure to anti-HIV and/or anti-TB therapy and in the context of HIV and TB prevention and treatment studies using assays developed and validated according to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) guidance for bioanalytical methods and the National Institute of Health’s (NIH’s) Division of AIDS’ (DAIDS) Clinical Pharmacology Quality Assurance Program (CPQA). These hair measures have utility in adherence monitoring to both HIV treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis. The HAL helps to develop assays for drug levels in hair and performs these assays for a variety of HIV-related studies around the world.

The purpose of this laboratory assistant 1 position is to work closely with all laboratory members in various aspects of research including in aiding in the operation of the Hair Analytical Lab (HAL). Duties include (but not limited to) checking, measuring, and cutting the small hair sample to the Sponsor’s determined length and further cutting the samples into smaller pieces into a vial; weighing the appropriate amount of the cut hair per the requested method into a test tube in preparation for the drug analysis; calibrating the laboratory balances; helping to check, print, and file iMonnit and change the freezer and refrigerator charts; helping to log in hair samples received from clinical studies from the NIH-supported HIV clinical trials network (utilizing the laboratory information management system (LDMS) for specimen tracking and inventory storage); helping to organize inventory and stored hair samples; aiding in calibrating pipettes and fixing equipment; and other miscellaneous office and laboratory duties.