Position: Senior Scientist, Target Discovery and Biology

Company: Repare Therapeutics

Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Website: http://www.reparerx.com/

 

Repare Therapeutics is a 2017 “Fierce 15” startup backed by tier-one strategic and institutional biotechnology investors (http://www.reparerx.com). Repare develops novel, precision oncology drugs that target specific vulnerabilities of tumor cells. This is accomplished by combining proprietary, high throughput, CRISPR‐enabled genome-scale synthetic lethal (SL) screenings for discovery of targets and patient selection biomarkers with high‐resolution protein crystallography, computational biology and clinical informatics. Founded by leading experts at the forefront of DNA damage and repair cancer biology and genome-scale synthetic lethal screening technologies, Repare has assembled a seasoned team of industry veterans and a world-class Advisory Board.

We now have an outstanding opportunity available at our Montreal site for a motivated and accomplished Ph.D.-level senior scientist who would like to get in early and grow with the company. The successful candidate will have a thorough background in at least one of the following research areas: DNA repair, cancer biology, synthetic lethality, and/or genome engineering. The candidate will become a vital member of our SL platform team where he/she will contribute both experimentally and intellectually to design and execute new SL campaigns and to generate a pool of completely validated drug targets to advance our portfolio. A critical component of the job will be the close collaboration with internal drug discovery teams and external investigators.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Establish expertise and maintain a thorough understanding of DNA damage and repair, cancer biology, synthetic lethality, and genome engineering.
• Utilize CRISPR/CAS9 and other genetic tools to validate novel targets, and participate in drug discovery programs.
• Apply this skill set to identify and fully validate new targets for cancer biology.
• Plan and execute experiments to uncover mechanisms of action for SL interactions.
• Develop cell-based assays and contribute intellectually to drug development programs.
• Facilitate the development of computational biology tools by working closely with the bioinformatics team.
• Support in vivo pharmacology and translational science personnel in clinical strategy development (i.e. biomarkers, patient selection criteria, etc.).

 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. and/or Post-doctoral fellowship in Molecular Genetics, Cancer Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, or related fields with experience in DNA damage and repair pathways, chromatin remodelling, telomeres and/or cell cycle control.
• Deep understanding and experience in genome editing techniques (CRISPR, TALENs, ZFNs, etc.) to generate gene knockouts, point mutants, and knock-in cell lines
• Experience in functional genomics (especially RNAi or CRISPR screens) is highly desired
• Expertise in cell and molecular biology techniques needed (proliferation assays, microscopy, cytogenetics, PCR, immunoblotting, etc.)
• Excellent communication skills. Ability to communicate in an open, clear, timely and consistent manner
• Outstanding organizational skills (lab book, experimental design, reagent cataloging, etc.)
• Ability to handle multiple projects and utilize judgement to prioritize tasks
• Ability to contribute as a team member in a dynamic, fast-paced biotech environment
• Experience in pre-clinical drug discovery is an asset