Senior Scientist, Cell Pharmacology

Xilio Therapeutics•Waltham, MA

18h

About The Position

Xilio Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing tumor-activated immuno-oncology (I-O) therapies with the goal of significantly improving outcomes for people living with cancer without the systemic side effects of current I-O treatments. The company is using its proprietary platform to advance a pipeline of novel, tumor-activated clinical and preclinical I-O molecules that are designed to optimize the therapeutic index by localizing anti-tumor activity within the tumor microenvironment. The Senior Scientist, Cell Pharmacology is responsible for the development and execution of cell-based in vitro and ex vivo assays to support our immune-oncology pipeline. This key role offers the opportunity to directly contribute to Xilio’s cutting edge science by developing innovative assay systems and generating decision-driving data that drive our programs forward. This role provides an exciting opportunity to directly influence ongoing programs and contribute to the discovery of new drugs to treat cancer patients.

Requirements

BS/MS/PhD in the field of Biology, or other related fields
7+ years post-graduate experience with BS, 5+ years post-graduate experience with MS or 3+ years experience with a PhD
Demonstrated strong background in IO / Immunology / T-Cell Engagers or a related field.
Experience with automation / liquid handlers for mid to high throughput assays strongly preferred.
Previous experience with Flow Cytometry, ELISA, and MSD-based readouts.
Skilled in cell/tissue culture techniques and cell-based assays
Experience with culture of primary human tumor and immune cells, and Western blots
Technical experience in the development, qualification, and execution of assays for protease characterization in human tissues
Goal oriented, organized, capable of working on multiple projects, and able to execute to timelines that align with company goals
Willing to learn new techniques and skills
Work well in a cross functional team environment
Good verbal and written communication skills

Nice To Haves

Primary tumor processing experience is preferred
Experience with measuring enzymatic activity is preferred

Responsibilities

Work as an integrated member of the research team to generate data to support ongoing drug discovery efforts.
Serve as an expert in the development of functional cell-based assays to support discovery programs and test Xilio molecule activation.
Develop and implement automation using liquid handling robotics to enhance throughput for cell-based and cell-free in vitro assays.
Implement and execute cell-based experiments such as phenotypic assays and reporter gene assays (RGA), which assess drug candidate activity and mechanism of action.
Develop and run binding assays via flow cytometry, ELISA and MSD.
Culture primary human tumor and immune cells for ex vivo experiments.
Carry out enzymatic cleavage experiments with recombinant proteases.
Perform gel electrophoresis and western blot assays to assess recombinant proteins.
Research relevant literature to devise cellular functional experiments.
Implement, develop, and perform in vitro assays to characterize novel therapeutic proteins.
Integrate technologies that improve or expand the ability to assay molecules by working with teammates, collaborators, vendors, and staying abreast of the literature.
Enter all data into laboratory notebooks and databases daily.
Participation and presentation of data at group meetings.
Mentor junior scientists.
Represent cell pharmacology function at project team meetings.
Provide assay development expertise to support CMC, non-clinical DMPK, and Tox studies.