What if you could join an organization that creates and builds life sciences companies that invent breakthrough technologies to transform healthcare and sustainability?
Metaphore Biotechnologies, Inc. (formerly FL72) is an early-stage biotechnology company with an ambitious and exciting mission: to reimagine drug discovery through the integration of computational and experimental innovation. The company is developing a revolutionary approach to this challenge and recruiting a team of top-tier scientists and engineers to build a powerful, first-in-category, translational R&D platform.
Metaphore is a product of Flagship Pioneering’s venture creation engine, that conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-class life science platform companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its founding in 2000, the firm has originated and fostered the development of more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $34 billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.
Position Summary:
Metaphore is seeking a creative, resourceful, and highly collaborative multidisciplinary Principal Scientist to join our translational team and lead Assay Development, Translational Biomarkers and Bioanalytical activities. The ideal candidate should have previous industry experience with a strong multidisciplinary background in assay development and bioanalytical applications. In this role the candidate will be accountable to ideate, develop and implement new assays to support both phenotypic discovery screenings and biomarker characterization in preclinical studies across diverse therapeutic areas. The candidate will have the ability to excel in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment and manage direct reports. We are looking for adaptive and scientifically curious individuals that will thrive in an ecosystem that encourages collaboration, growth, and learning.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead Assay Development, Translational Biomarkers and Bioanalytical activities, and act as functional representative on program teams.
- Develop relevant assays for phenotypic screenings supporting our discovery pipeline, implementing quantitative medium-throughput ligand-binding and cell-based assays that will enable functional validation and characterization of hits.
- Explore, design, and implement in vitro, ex vivo or in vivo assays to assess biomarkers translatability of therapeutic responses.
- Formulate hypotheses and design experiments to evaluate biological functions and characterize phenotypic and genotypic responses in in vitro, ex vivo or in vivo models.
- Closely collaborate with the Discovery and Computational Biology teams to analyze and interpret large datasets that characterize biological responses, and guide Metaphore's discovery platform.
- Prepare and present rigorous data packages and incisive analyses that inform and enable project progression
- Source the generation of custom critical biological reagents.
- Manage direct report/s and external CROs.
Basic Qualifications:
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Ph.D. with 12+ years of experience in biochemistry, biology, pharmacology, or related field. Prior industry experience (4+ years) in drug discovery or preclinical development is required, and focus on biomarkers, bioanalytical applications and antibody development is highly desirable.
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Technical expertise in ligand-based and cell-based assays to characterize target binding/engagement and downstream cellular functions.
- Extensive knowledge on current bioanalytical methods: ELISA, MSD, HTRF, flow cytometry, qPCR, NGS, MS, immunological assays, etc., for biomarker analysis of complex biological matrix.
- Experience with mammalian tissue culture, reporter cell lines, and/or primary human cell cultures.
- Understanding of DOE, and knowledge to execute assay qualifications or validations for preclinical biomarkers.
- Ability to work independently, from idea conceptualization, experiment design and execution, to data analysis and interpretation.
- Excellent communication skills, ability to clearly convey complex messages across multidisciplinary teams and commitment to collaboration.
- Ability to manage and mentor reports and peers.
- Scientific excellence, execution rigor, creative resourcefulness, critical thinking, great organization skills, and proven track-record of achievement, as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals, and contributions to the development of preclinical programs.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Molecular biology and protein biochemistry skills.
- Experience managing direct reports and CROs.
Values and Behaviors
We are seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong communication skills, and comfort working in and contributing to a dynamic and cross-functional team environment. The level of the role will be commensurate with the education and years of experience of the identified candidate.
Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
