Senior Scientist I, Medicinal Chemistry

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.•South San Francisco, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and leader in the discovery and development of novel integrin-based therapeutics. Based in South San Francisco, California, Pliant was founded in 2015 to develop therapeutics to modulate specific pathways upregulated or dysfunctional in certain diseases. Our approach involves developing novel integrin-based therapeutics to treat solid tumors and other diseases. Integrins are a crucial link between a cell's internal structure and its external environment and function in cell signaling, regulation and adhesion as well as wound healing and immune response. Founded by a team of world-renowned researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, this group discovered key insights into the integrin biology and developed small molecule therapeutics to target this devastating disease process. Launched in 2016 by Third Rock Ventures, a leading healthcare venture capital firm, Pliant has developed an industry-leading proprietary library of over 15,000 integrins that serve as a key driver to its portfolio. We believe our platform may be broadly applicable across multiple disease areas including delivery of drug payloads to cells utilizing integrin receptor-binding molecules as tissue-specific delivery and internalization mechanisms. Currently, Pliant is conducting a Phase 1 study of PLN-101095, a small molecule, dual-selective inhibitor of αvß8 and αvß1 integrins, that has shown encouraging clinical activity in the development of a treatment of immune checkpoint resistant solid tumors. Reporting to the SVP of Research, the Senior Scientist I, Medicinal Chemistry will bring deep expertise in medicinal chemistry and will play a key role in advancing a pipeline of novel therapeutics enabled by integrin biology and targeted delivery strategies. This role will lead the design and optimization of drug candidates that leverage integrin-mediated delivery to selectively target tissues and cell types.

Requirements

PhD in Organic Chemistry or a related discipline
4+ years of relevant industry experience
Strong foundation in synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry, with demonstrated ability to guide compound design, interpret SAR, and apply physicochemical and structural insights leading to optimized drug candidates
Proven ability to work effectively on multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced research environment
Demonstrated track record of progressing compounds towards development
Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities
Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), linker-payload systems, or other targeted delivery modalities
Demonstrated ability to integrate biology-driven insights into chemistry strategy, including payload selection and receptor-mediated uptake strategies
Track record of meaningful contributions to candidate selection

Responsibilities

Design and drive medicinal chemistry strategies for integrin-targeted therapeutics and delivery-enabled small molecules
Utilize Structure-Activity Relationships to prioritize hypotheses, set design criteria, and guide external synthesis efforts
Evaluate and interpret complex datasets and translate findings into clear, actionable design decisions
Collaborate closely with biology, structural biology, DMPK, and translational teams to integrate insights into compound design and program strategy
Prioritize and manage multiple tasks to ensure timelines and deliverables are met
Maintain high-quality documentation and data management practices
Present data and strategy clearly to internal teams and senior leadership
Contribute to intellectual property strategy and filings
Foster a collaborative, innovative, and high-performance research culture