Head of Translational Science
Location: Waltham, MA
Job description:
Palleon Pharmaceuticals is seeking a talented individual to fill the position of Head of Translational Science. S/he will report to the CSO and be responsible for leading the development and execution of translational research, clinical biomarker strategy, and pharmacodynamic biomarker strategy to support Palleon’s immuno-oncology and inflammatory disease pipelines. The successful candidate will have a track record of driving biomarker discovery and application strategies to support the clinical development of novel and first-in-class therapies. This role is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated self-starter and creative problem solver with a strong desire to make a critical contribution to the development of novel therapeutics. This will be a high-profile leadership position with an opportunity to deliver innovation in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced biotech company environment.
Position Responsibilities:
- Build a strong translational research plan to understand human disease biology and prepare for early clinical development, with a focus on MOA and identification of disease populations
- Define and execute biomarker strategies to identify cancer patients suitable for Palleon’s therapeutic candidates
- Develop clinic-ready patient selection and pharmacodynamic assays
- Design and oversee the use of biomarkers in clinical studies
- Oversee the analysis of markers in clinical samples and prepare reports suitable for regulatory documents
- Manage CRO contracts to ensure that deliverables are high quality, on time, and on budget
- Oversee translational research bioinformatics
- Oversee external collaborations with a global network of scientific and clinical advisors; initiate and manage Sponsored Research Agreements
- Build and lead the translational science team
Qualifications:
- MD or PhD in cancer biology, immuno-oncology or equivalent advanced degree
- 10+ years of experience in clinical drug development in the pharmaceutical industry with 8+ years of experience in translational research
- Established track record of leading biomarker development and clinical implementation efforts in immuno-oncology
- Proven track of record of managing direct reports and leading teams
- Strong background in immunology and cancer biology with expertise in immuno-oncology biomarker platforms (FACS, Immunoscore, Nanostring, and IHC) and familiarity with bioinformatics and programming (such as Python)
- Desire to initiate and apply innovative approaches to early drug development
- Ability to ensure that project deliverables ar high quality, on time, and on budget
- Proven ability to support programs from preclinical stages through clinical development, including multiple regulatory submissions
- Experience outsourcing and working with external CROs and collaborators
- Excellent communication skills; ability to influence and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders (project team members, senior management, key opinion leaders, and regulatory agencies)
- Strong team-building and leadership skills
Who We Are:
Palleon Pharmaceuticals is the leading biotechnology company developing drugs that target glycan-mediated immune regulation to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company’s proprietary platforms integrate technologies and insights from global scientific leaders in the glyco-immunology field to overcome historical scientific hurdles and create novel therapeutics for devastating diseases characterized by immune system dysfunction. Palleon’s lead program in oncology, an enzymatic sialoglycan degrader for T cell exhaustion in cancer, is expected to enter clinical testing in 2021. The company has several other drug discovery programs underway in disease areas where glycan-mediated immune regulation plays a role, including inflammatory diseases such as autoimmunity and fibrosis. Palleon was launched in 2015. The company recently raised a $100 million Series B financing from leading investors Matrix Capital Management, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), SR One, Pfizer Ventures, Vertex Ventures HC, Takeda Ventures and AbbVie Ventures. Learn more at www.palleonpharma.com.
