Director/Senior Director, Head Discovery Biology and Preclinical Pharmacology

PepGen is seeking an energetic, talented and highly motivated Director/ Senior Director of Discovery Biology and Preclinical Pharmacology to lead both platform and portfolio projects to discover and develop novel targets and indications for PepGen's proprietary enhanced delivery oligonucleotides (EDOs). The candidate will assume broad responsibility for developing and executing strategies delivering quality science that provide a deeper understanding of targets and enable the research imperative of validating and improving the probability of success of PepGen's growing portfolio of preclinical and clinical candidates. The individual will be responsible for Discovery Biology, translational and pharmacology activities and the development of the company's in vitro and in-vivo screening capabilities. The candidate will also be responsible for internal and external in-vivo studies in rodent and non-rodent species. The incumbent will work with multidisciplinary teams cross-functionally in a matrix environment and will also lead projects with external academic and other collaborators. He/She will be part of an innovative research and preclinical development team with expertise in developing mechanistic insight into disease biology in the space of neuromuscular and neurological indications in addition to other rare genetic diseases.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead discovery and preclinical strategies to identify and validate therapeutic targets in the disease areas for building early discovery programs.
• Oversee and manage the design and development in vitro and in-vivo tools for the evaluation of cellular/tissue uptake, trafficking and efficacy of oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates.
• Lead the development of assays for high throughput screening of a panel of novel oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates
• Drive all aspects of in vitro screening spanning disease model cell lines and reporter systems.
• Present data in internal and external meetings and conferences
• Manage all aspects of both in vitro and in vivo assessment of oligonucleotide proof of concept data generation
• Familiar with the research advances in the field to enhance the portfolio programs
• Author or contribute to study reports, regulatory submission and abstracts/manuscripts for publication.
  
  

Requirements:

• PhD in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology or related discipline and 8+ years of relevant experience
• The candidate should have a proven track record in the assessment of oligonucleotide therapeutics and/or nucleic acid conjugates and/or peptide-conjugates
• Ideally experience of working with cell penetrating peptides and characterizing their delivery and uptake - Experience in high throughput screening
• Working knowledge of in-vivo animal models
• Track record of robust experimental design, execution and interpretation of data
• Broad knowledge of the nucleic acid drug discovery and development space
• Track record of working in the rare disease space
• Clear communication of research findings both internally and externally
  
  

About PepGen:

We are a biotechnology company advancing next-generation oligonucleotide therapies for neuromuscular and neurological diseases. Our ambition is to unlock the potential of nucleic acid therapeutics by leveraging the drug delivery capabilities of our proprietary Enhanced Delivery Oligonucleotide (EDO) platform. We are applying this technology across a wide range of indications through independent and partnered development pathways and are rapidly growing our team, especially at our U.S. headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.

PepGen is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

PepGen requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to starting work. The CDC defines "fully vaccinated" as two weeks after the second dose for Pfizer and Moderna, and two weeks after the single dose of Johnson & Johnson. PepGen will require proof of vaccination and consider requests for exemption from this requirement as a reasonable accommodation for medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs where the accommodation would not cause PepGen undue hardship or pose a direct threat to the health or safety of the employee or others.

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