Principal Scientist/Director, Cancer Biology

tl;dr

General Proximity is a seed-stage startup developing the next generation of induced proximity medicines (IPMs). Our OmniTAC drug discovery engine furnishes molecules that co-opt existing cellular machinery to overcome therapeutic challenges, which have remained unapproachable to other modalities for decades.

We are seeking a first-rate cancer biologist to help us pioneer this uncharted frontier of drug discovery.

Our Story

A long-standing challenge in drug discovery is the development of molecules capable of modulating difficult or "undruggable" targets. Disease-causing proteins can be dysfunctional in many different ways, but our armamentarium for fixing them is quite limited. The most common mechanism of action for FDA-approved drugs is inhibition[1], but there are many other possible perturbation types whose potential remains unrealized.

General Proximity is a seed-stage drug discovery company developing a novel platform technology to solve this problem. We make bifunctional drugs that induce the modification of drug targets by existing cellular machinery (rather than through direct modulation by the drug, the classical approach).

Historically, the development of technologies that allow one to push new buttons in biology has been an incredibly fertile field for the discovery of new medicines[2, 3, 4], and our technology holds the same promise.

 

The Position

We are seeking an experienced cancer biologist to help lead our Biology Team. In this position, you will help lead and manage our Biology Team and work closely with our Platform Team in the development of our core drug discovery technology.  

Your responsibilities will include phenotypic assay development, establishing pre-clinical in vitro/in vivo studies, performing mechanistic studies on lead drug molecules, spearheading forays into new oncology indications, and grant writing. 

 

About You

High Agency. Initiative, independence, and self-accountability are some of our most valued traits.

Enthusiastic. We love people who are excited about what they are doing and are generally attempting to build a high-energy team.

Intensity and Grit. Early-stage startups are hard. Drug discovery is doubly so. We are looking for candidates who have a demonstrated ability to stick with complex problems for the long haul, with a team that has your back along the way.

Prosocial. We are here to create life-saving medicines for the patients who need it most. You should be, too.

 

Qualifications & Nice-To-Haves

• PhD in Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, or related field.  
• 5-7+ years of industry experience.
• Deep understanding of small-molecule drug discovery and its relationship to human disease.
• Exceptional leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, with a track record of managing high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.
  
  
• Strong experience with:
  • Mechanistic studies of cancer cell signaling and PTM analysis
  • Phenotypic assay development for cancer drug discovery (low to high throughput)
  • Small molecule drug development campaigns (hit discovery, hit validation, dose-response studies, MOA studies)
  • Excellent cellular and molecular biology knowledge/experience (cancer cell lines, generation of stable cell lines using lenti/CRISPR systems, IP/pull down assays, RNA-Seq, flow cytometry, plasmid design)

• Proficiency in:  
  • Managing a team of exceptional scientists and research associates 
  • Target/indication selection
  • Pre-clinical and IND-enabling studies
  • Animal models of cancer (GEMM, orthotopic, xenograft models)
  • Managing CROs for in vivo studies<