Associate Director/Director of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

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Company Summary:

TORAN Therapeutics is a privately held, early-stage biotechnology company creating an unprecedented drug discovery platform around transporter proteins to discover novel therapeutics. As the molecular gateways of our bodies, transporters are responsible for the flux of all biomolecules into and out of all cells and organelles. As a generally untapped but druggable class of proteins, transporters have been ignored because they are notoriously difficult to work with. TORAN is developing novel biological and technological solutions for transporter biology to treat a broad range of diseases such as metabolic disease, immunological disease, CNS disorders, and oncology.

TORAN Therapeutics was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an institute dedicated to the origination and development of first-in-category life sciences companies. Since 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered the development of nearly 100 scientific ventures resulting in $20+ billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a Associate Director/Director of Chemistry and Chemical Biology to advance novel targets from early discovery to development candidates. In addition, the candidate will have the opportunity to help build the company’s propriety chemical biology platform to aid in the discovery of new chemical hits for transporter drug targets and in understanding lead molecules. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of advancing projects from target and hit identification to the nomination of drug candidates for preclinical development and a passion for delivering medicines to patients.

This leader will have experience in property-based optimization of small molecules, with knowledge of structure-based drug design and multi-parameter optimization. The candidate will have skills in CRO management as well as the ability to communicate effectively with internal and external scientists and stakeholders. The leader will take a company-wide view of the project portfolio to advance a compelling pipeline of novel therapeutics.

Responsibilities:

  • Define and implement medicinal chemistry strategy for multiple projects to identify hits and optimize to drug candidates
  • Aid in target selection activities and program prioritization
  • Manage scientific team internally and through consultants and CROs
  • Aid in the development of Toran’s chemical biology platform
  • Communicate strategy, goals and progress to internal and external parties
  • Identify resources needed to achieve project goals

Key Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. in chemistry with relevant post-Ph.D. experience in Biotech/Pharma with an excellent track record, as demonstrated by patents, publications and project progression, especially with novel targets
  • Experience leading medicinal chemistry on projects, including hit triage and characterization, lead identification, SAR analysis, lead optimization, including use of structure to optimize potency and selectivity
  • Experience in prioritization of series and optimization of compounds for DMPK properties (e.g., clearance and oral bioavailability)
  • Experience with CRO management for compound synthesis
  • Ability to organize and communicate complex data sets in a clear and concise manner to key stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, e.g., CROs, company and Flagship leadership and academic collaborators and advisory board.
  • Knowledge of chemical biology techniques and experience with probe design desired
  • Experience across multiple targets classes and therapeutic areas desired
  • Experience with CRO management for DMPK data generation desired
  • Experience with compound library generation desired
 
 
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.