Scientist, De Novo Discovery

Parabilis Medicines•Cambridge, MA

2h•$110,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

Parabilis Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to creating extraordinary medicines for patients with serious diseases by unlocking biologically important targets long considered undruggable. The company has pioneered a new class of alpha-helical peptides – Helicons™ – capable of modulating intracellular proteins that have historically been beyond the reach of conventional medicines. The company’s lead investigational medicine, zolucatetide, is the first and only direct inhibitor of the β-catenin:TCF interaction, a central node in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway that has eluded drug developers for decades. Zolucatetide is being evaluated in the clinic across multiple Wnt/β-catenin-driven diseases, including desmoid tumors, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and a range of other solid tumor indications. Beyond zolucatetide, Parabilis is advancing additional Helicon-based programs focused on other challenging targets where we believe our medicines could have life-altering impact. For more information, visit www.parabilismed.com or follow us on LinkedIn. We are seeking a highly motivated Scientist to join our Hit Discovery team, reporting to the Director, De Novo Discovery, and contribute to the advancement of our Helicon Discovery Platform through the development and application of mRNA display and phage display technologies. This role is ideal for a recent PhD graduate or early-career scientist with a strong foundation in chemical biology, molecular biology, protein engineering, biochemistry, or a related discipline. The successful candidate will contribute to the development and integration of noncanonical amino acids into the mRNA display platform, lead screening campaigns against previously “undruggable” protein targets and innovate display screening workflows. This is an excellent opportunity to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment focused on building next-generation discovery capabilities and discovering transformative therapeutics.

Requirements

PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical Biology, Bioengineering, or a related field, with 0-3 years of postdoctoral and/or industry experience.
Strong foundation in chemical and molecular biology techniques, including orthogonal translation systems, cell-free protein synthesis, cloning, DNA library construction.
Demonstrated ability to design and execute experiments independently, troubleshoot effectively, and interpret complex datasets.
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly present scientific data.
Collaborative mindset with a high degree of initiative, curiosity, and enthusiasm for platform innovation and drug discovery.

Nice To Haves

Experience with reprogrammed translation systems and genetic-code expansion enabling site-specific incorporations of noncanonical amino acids into high-diversity peptide libraries are preferred.
Direct hands-on experience with mRNA display, phage display, or a closely related cell-free display technology is desired.
Strong biochemistry background and familiarity with next-generation sequencing workflows and data analysis are a plus.

Responsibilities

Design, construct, and produce diverse mRNA display libraries using standard and advanced molecular biology techniques, including PCR, cloning, in vitro transcription/translation workflows, and chemical modification strategies.
Expand the chemical diversity of mRNA display libraries by incorporating noncanonical amino acids via reprogrammed or orthogonal translation systems.
Design and execute routine mRNA display and phage display high-throughput screening campaigns to discover novel binders against challenging protein targets.
Analyze next-generation sequencing data to identify enriched peptide motifs and asses sequence-activity relationships.
Evaluate and implement new technologies, workflows, and process improvements, with a particular focus on enhancing the performance, robustness, and scalability of the mRNA display platform.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including data science, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry.
Stay current with relevant literature and emerging screening technologies.