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.

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 highly motivated and creative scientist or biological engineer with experience in conceiving, executing, and optimizing novel cell-based assays. S/he will join an interdisciplinary team to design and build cell-based assays and related technologies to support drug discovery. The successful candidate is an entrepreneurial scientist with experience engineering and optimizing scalable cell systems for detection of desired biomolecules. We are looking for an enthusiastic, innovative scientist with a passion for solving difficult technical challenges to bring novel medicines to patients. S/he will be comfortable balancing multiple projects and enjoy working in a pioneering, fast-paced, and collaborative start-up environment, with the opportunity to make a large impact to advance Toran’s mission.

Responsibilities:

• Conceive, build, and optimize novel cell systems and cell-based assays for protein characterization and drug screening
• Design and/or integrate novel modular components, as needed, for assay development, such as genetic elements, metabolites, or modified cell lines
• Validate and scale up assays for high-throughput execution with robust assay performance
• Advocate for innovation and application; learn and implement new experimental techniques and approaches that can answer critical scientific questions
• Delivery of high-quality and timely data to support programs’ strategy and goals, in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams
• Communicate ideas and results to internal and external parties in verbal, written, and presentation formats
• Contribute meaningfully to building a world-class transporter platform at the forefront of scientific innovation

Key Qualifications:

• Ph.D. (with 3+ years’ experience) in biochemistry, biological engineering, or related fields, with an emphasis on engineering cell-based assays and sensors
• Demonstrated experience developing and validating assays, and scaling up in plate format
• Experience in generating DNA constructs, engineering cell lines, and expressing reporter and other proteins is preferred
• Experience in synthetic biology techniques is a plus
• Experience with liquid handlers and automation is a plus
• Basic knowledge of cellular metabolism
• Strong ability to analyze and communicate complex data sets and science in a clear and concise manner through written or oral communications
• Instinctive team player with excellent interpersonal skills