Associate Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry, TTD, Early Oncology

Associate Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry, TTD, Early Oncology

Location: Waltham, MA, US

Do you want to be at the cutting edge of innovation that will lead to state-of-the-art therapies for cancer? At AstraZeneca, we turn ideas into life changing medicines. Our pioneering oncology pipeline enabled by transformative technologies drives us forward. Working here means being ambitious, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality for the patients.  

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven, integrated biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is to make a meaningful difference to patient health through great medicines that bring benefit for patients and add new value for society. We discover, develop, manufacture and market prescription medicines for important areas of healthcare, which include some of the world’s most serious illnesses: cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. We are driven by a shared goal to make a positive impact on the lives of patients with these serious diseases. Oncology is a core therapy area and growth platform at AstraZeneca and our vision is to deliver life-changing medicines that improve outcomes for patients most in need.

This Opportunity

The newly hired Associate Principal Scientist will actively contribute and influence/lead programs involving small molecule ligand discovery in tumor targeted delivery (TTD) chemistry group. This role is part of an important strategy to deliver highly specific therapeutics including, but not limited to, small molecule, peptide and antibody drug/prodrug conjugates with various targeting modalities to treat cancer. For this purpose, small molecule discovery strategies will be deployed (i.e., structure-based drug design, LipE/FQ-directed hit-to-lead optimization as well as driving & following up on HTS/fragment-based/DEL screening efforts). There will be opportunity to work closely with computational chemists and structure biologists. The job posting is for our group at Boston/Waltham location.  

Core Accountabilities:

• Design and develop synthesis strategies for rapid access to small molecule targets (a strong organic synthesis background is essential)

• Influence the medicinal chemistry strategy for the discovery of novel, differentiated small molecule candidates for tumor targeted delivery by incorporating optimal structural, pharmacological, physicochemical, metabolic, and safety considerations

• Demonstrate strategic thinking and problem solving skills to drive small molecule discovery programs

• Communicate progress with the TTD leadership on regular basis (presentations, reports, etc)   

• Prioritize deliverables and projects in fast paced environment

• Analyze and interpret complex data to drive SAR and advance programs

• Demonstrate creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking skills to overcome challenges all while building/strengthening IP   

• Closely collaborate with project team members and leverage CRO resources to meet timelines  

• Regularly attend, present and actively participate in group meetings as well as write project update reports    

• Participate in writing and submission of patent applications, peer-reviewed articles, and abstracts for scientific conferences 

• Exhibit leadership and team-player qualities

• Ensure that appropriate safety, health & environment (SHE) practices are followed

• Devise and implement medicinal chemistry strategies that will enable discovery of novel, differentiated small molecule candidates for tumor targeted delivery programs

• Design and execute synthetic strategies for rapid access to small molecule targets (a strong organic synthesis background is essential) 

• Effectively plan and prioritize tasks, leveraging CRO resources to efficiently deliver target compounds  

• Analyze structural, pharmacological, physicochemical and ADMET data to derive SAR and design new targets that advance projects

• Identify critical issues and demonstrate creative problem solving ability to overcome obstacles

• Work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership behaviors and collaborates closely with colleagues from diverse drug discovery functions

• Present updates to TTD leadership and prepare written progress reports

• Participate in writing and submission of patent applications, peer-reviewed articles, and abstracts for scientific conferences 

• Work safely in accordance with safety, health & environment (SHE) best practices