Scientist/Sr. Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

General Proximity • San Francisco, CA

107d

About The Position

General Proximity is a seed-stage startup developing the next generation of induced proximity medicines (IPMs). Our OmniTAC drug discovery engine furnishes molecules that co-opt existing cellular machinery to overcome therapeutic challenges, which have remained unapproachable to other modalities for decades. We are seeking a first-rate medicinal chemist to help us pioneer this uncharted frontier of drug discovery. A long-standing challenge in drug discovery is the development of molecules capable of modulating difficult or 'undruggable' targets. Disease-causing proteins can be dysfunctional in many different ways, but our armamentarium for fixing them is quite limited. The most common mechanism of action for FDA-approved drugs is inhibition, but there are many other possible perturbation types whose potential remains unrealized. General Proximity is a seed-stage drug discovery company developing a novel platform technology to solve this problem. We make bifunctional drugs that induce the modification of drug targets by existing cellular machinery (rather than through direct modulation by the drug, the classical approach). Historically, the development of technologies that allow one to push new buttons in biology has been an incredibly fertile field for the discovery of new medicines, and our technology holds the same promise.

Requirements

• PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Pharmacology, or related field
• Deep understanding of small-molecule drug discovery and its relationship to human disease
• Ability to work fluently at the interface of chemistry and biology
• Top-notch written and oral communication skills
• Strong experience with designing, synthesizing, and optimizing induced proximity medicines (e.g. PROTACs or other IPMs)
• Experience contributing to hit-to-lead and lead optimization studies
• Strong understanding of med-chem optimizations: SAR, PK/PD, DMPK
• Experience with chemical biology techniques such as mammalian cell culture and cell-based assays
• Experience with PPI assays (e.g., BRET, APEX/BioID, AlphaScreen) or strong experience in computational chemistry

Nice To Haves

• Proficiency in HTS and phenotypic assay development
• Proteomics experience: PTM analysis, chemo-proteomic target deconvolution
• Computational or molecular dynamics drug discovery experience
• DEL experience
• Experience managing others, especially synthetic chemistry CRO teams
• Prior experience on teams that have successfully advanced research to the clinic

Responsibilities

• Supervising synthetic efforts with our CROs
• Performing and analyzing in cellulo assays
• Designing and optimizing first-in-class bifunctional molecules
• Collaborating with our Drug Discovery and IP team on patent applications
• Providing input for mechanistic studies on lead drug molecules
• Spearheading forays into new disease areas

Benefits

• Strong equity incentives
• Top tier medical, dental, and vision coverage + One Medical membership
• 401(k) retirement plans
• Education and health/fitness incentive programs
• Meditation retreats—do a ten-day Vipassana retreat without counting towards vacation days
• Reading budget—company will buy books

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees