Senior Associate Scientist
- Scholar Rock Inc.
- Full time
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Posted: August 28, 2021
Company
Scholar Rock is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company creating a robust pipeline of therapeutics with the potential to transform the lives of patients suffering from serious diseases, including neuromuscular disorders, cancer, and fibrosis. Our proprietary platform is rooted in our structural biology insights into the activation of latent growth factor precursors and drives the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies that locally and selectively target these signaling proteins at the cellular level. By exploiting structural differences in the precursor, or latent forms of growth factors, Scholar Rock intends to avoid the historical dose-limiting safety challenges associated with inhibiting the mature form of growth factors for therapeutic effect.
Our first investigational product candidate, apitegromab (SRK-015), is a selective inhibitor of the activation of latent myostatin. We announced positive 12-month top-line data from the TOPAZ trial in April 2021, demonstrating that apitegromab has the potential to improve motor function in patients with Type 2 and Type 3 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). We anticipate initiating a Phase 3 registrational trial by the end of 2021 and are moving steadfast towards our aim of bringing this potential first muscle-directed therapy to patients with SMA
Our second investigational product candidate, SRK-181, is a selective inhibitor of latent TGFβ1 activation being developed to overcome primary resistance to checkpoint inhibitor therapies (CPIs), such as anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibodies. Although CPIs have transformed the cancer treatment landscape, only approximately 20% of patients respond to treatment. We believe SRK-181 has the potential to meaningfully increase the number of patients who can benefit from CPIs. We are evaluating SRK-181 in the ongoing DRAGON Phase 1 proof-of-concept trial (NCT04291079) evaluating patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. We anticipate initial clinical response and safety data from Part A (dose escalation) portion of the trial by the end of 2021.
We continue to progress our scientific platform and preclinical programs as we apply our structural insights and protein science and antibody expertise to discover antibodies with differentiated therapeutic profiles and develop high-impact medicines for patients suffering from serious diseases.
Summary of Position:
At Scholar Rock, our mission is to help patients with serious illnesses through innovative thinking, cutting edge science, and a passion for discovering and developing novel therapeutics. We’re seeking an outstanding, motivated scientist with assay development experience to join our R&D team. This person will play a hands-on role in establishing cell-based assays to address biological hypotheses and identify novel therapeutic antibodies. The role provides exposure within the drug discovery process, as the successful candidate will play a crucial role in identification and characterization of potential drugs at the research and preclinical stages.
Position Responsibilities:
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- Contribute to developing, improving, and executing cell-based functional assays and disease relevant phenotypic assays.
- Maintain detailed records of experimental protocols and data in laboratory notebooks in accordance with company policy.
- Analyze, interpret, and report experimental results in a small group setting.
- Actively participate in cross-functional team settings
Candidate Requirements:
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- BA/BS or MS in cell or molecular biology, biochemistry or related field with 2+ years of experience in drug discovery research.
- Candidates must have experience designing, developing, and performing mammalian cell-based functional assays.
- Experience with flow cytometric analysis and sample preparation for protein and gene expression analysis from tissues and cells is desired, but not required.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, including experimental design and execution, in a fast-paced team-oriented environment.
- Be able to troubleshoot problems and propose creative solutions.
- Strong communication skills, written and oral.
- Have the flexibility and ability to work in an interactive, matrixed, cross-functional drug discovery environment.
- Have a strong work ethic and high level of integrity and motivation.
Scholar Rock is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.