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 harness glyco-immunology to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company’s proprietary platforms integrate technologies and insights from global scientific leaders in the field to overcome historical scientific hurdles and create novel therapeutics for devastating diseases characterized by immune system dysfunction. Palleon’s lead program in oncology, E-602 (formerly called Sialidase-Fc), is an enzymatic sialoglycan degrader for T cell exhaustion in cancer which is expected to enter clinical testing in 2021. The company has several other drug discovery programs underway in disease areas where glyco-immunology 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.
