The position will oversee and contribute to the discovery and translation of candidate TCR cell engagers. He/she will assume broad responsibility of peptide/MHC target identification, as well as designing and executing the research to better understand both the target as well as the biology with the goal to develop our pipeline.
It is expected that initially, these research activities will be conducted in a virtual manner, with the position overseeing projects through a global network of contract research organizations and R&D collaborations. Oversight may span early discovery to development candidate selection and IND-enabling studies.
Responsibilities
- Develop innovative ideas for new pipeline programs, based on a deep understanding of target biology, tumor-associated antigen expression
- Design in vitro and in vivo experiments to validate both target as well as platform
- Lead and oversee Crossbow’s partners (including academic and biotech partnerships as well as CROs) in discovery efforts, including but not limited to target identification, in vitro characterization of engagers, and in vivo proof-of-concept studies
- Design and execute program research plans, including technical workflow management and resource allocation
- Develop budget forecasts for drug development programs, including review of active contracts and long-range planning
- Day-to-day oversight of external research efforts, including but not limited to identification of vendors, review/approval of work orders, protocol design, data review/analysis, and data presentation
- Lead internal technical discussions on preclinical programs
- Prepare and present slides for internal programs meetings
- Review regulatory submissions documents that describe the results of nonclinical IND-enabling studies
- Participate in diligence activities to support the evaluation of new potential binders for us to in-license
Qualifications
- PhD in immunology, biology, biological engineering, biochemistry, or a related field
- 10+ years of biotech experience
- Experience working in the field of shared neoantigen immunotherapy, TCR-targeted therapies, cancer vaccines, or a related field
- Experience working with bispecific T cell engagers, next-gen biologics is a plus
- Experience evaluating drug asset value propositions
- Experience advancing drug development programs from discovery through IND
- Experience leading a research or technical team
- Innovative thinker
- Strong attention to detail
- Highly collaborative and comfortable working in a lean team
- Ability to excel in a fast-paced, unstructured work environment
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills to serve as liaison between us and our partners