Principal Scientist, Target ID and Validation

About SwanBio Therapeutics

SwanBio is a privately held, newly established biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative gene therapy products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and diseases. SwanBio has a deeply experienced leadership team and is building an open, innovative culture that trusts its people, processes and science to deliver scientific, clinical and business success. SwanBio’s lead investor is Syncona, a premiere investment partner focused on building companies delivering transformational healthcare treatments. Syncona has a deep pool of capital and they are established leaders in the development of genetic medicine. In particular, they present a legacy of success in long term investment strategies for companies in the Gene and Cell Therapy space. Our goal is to become a world-leader in treating neurodegenerative diseases. With locations in Philadelphia and Boston, the SwanBio Team is building a strong pipeline of gene therapy development programs with a directed focus on critical unmet medical needs for CNS diseases. SwanBio offers all team members both competitive compensation and benefits.

The Opportunity 

   This role will be responsible for identifying potential and novel targets for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and diseases and validating these targets by numerous experimental methods including modulation of the target to demonstrate that it is directly or indirectly involved in the disease or condition of interest. This role will also be responsible to determine what experimental technologies to use for validation, with the validation protocols varying depending on the function and characteristics of the target.

Key Responsibilities

In this role you will:

• Lead discovery projects and champion projects from discovery into early clinical development.
• Propose and validate novel therapeutic targets by combining a strong understanding of CNS diseases and disorders.
• Develop and execute efficient strategies for target identification, prioritization and validation; review, propose, initiate, and implement new pre-clinical therapeutic gene therapy discovery and development programs
• Conceive, communicate and execute novel multi-disciplinary research strategies that encompass target validation and early development of gene therapeutics
• Design and execute in vitro or in vivo experiments to determine potency and selectivity of drug candidates using cell lines and primary human cell sources.
•  Lead the development, optimization, and validation of new assays.
•  Utilize technical expertise and available information to troubleshoot and resolve key project hurdles when encountered.
• Represent in-house expertise
• Effectively direct others as needed in generating innovative technical and new target strategies that lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic agents.
• Collaborate with CRO; employ cutting-edge in vitro and in vivo animal and human models to advance discovery and development programs
•  Lead project team meetings, and present updates to senior management.
• As needed - Develop compelling scientific presentations and reports for internal review meetings and external scientific conferences/journals.
• As needed - Actively participate in internal and external scientific meetings by presenting and critically evaluating the science and contributing to projects.

Basic Requirements:

•  Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology or Immunology or a combination of education and experience,
• Experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, in vitro assay development and in vivo biology is essential
• Documented strong scientific record
• Experience with animal disease models for targets validation and characterization of therapeutics in CNS diseases area.
• Ability to independently design and perform complex in vivo studies, interpret data and present the results to management.
• Previous experience in conducting research using the latest drug discovery technologies and advances in science

• Extensive experience in communicating across internal multi-disciplinary teams and with external partners
• Ability to manage multiple project in a fast-moving and results-oriented environment

• Possess a curiosity in exploring new path for drug discovery, be bold in proposing creative experimental designs and ideas.

• Ability to analyze and troubleshoot experiments.

• Significant experience in being resourceful while working in a small biotech environment
• Ability to manage outside vendors

Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent presentation skills
• Superior problem solving skills
• Detail oriented
• Independently motivated
• Possess a mind set of no job to big or too small.

About the Benefits:

The successful candidate will enjoy a competitive base salary and the opportunity to participate in incentive compensation programs including bonus and stock option plans. Additionally, SwanBio Therapeutics offers all team members a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, vision care, 401(k), paid vacation and holiday time.

SwanBio Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer