Pain Biologist

We are a small, clinical stage biotech north of Chicago in Northbrook, IL. We call ourselves a "peptide design house" - since technically speaking, we design custom synthetic peptidomimetics for pharmaceutical targets. We need help testing the response to our new drugs utilizing both in vivo and in vitro models. This ad is part of our ongoing recruitment effort.

Our lead molecule finished its Phase 1 trials with flying colors. The molecule proved both safe and active in Phase 1. We're finalizing the work that's required to begin Phase 2 trials in 2024. We're broadly optimistic about the future of this program - a peptide that targets the melanocortin system to remedy the kinds of involuntary and catastrophic weight loss that accompanies cancer and the administration of cytotoxic chemotherapies.

We continue to accelerate work on our pipeline efforts. Most of our drug targets are in the central nervous system, so a background in neuroscience is desired. (We are actually running this same ad with the title “Neuroscientist / Molecular neurobiologist” and “Pain biologist” because we need bandwidth in both of those areas.) Experience with behavioral analysis in whole animal models is also preferred. We do not rely on grants or partnerships to fund our work - we have cash on the balance sheet and we're making great discoveries that pharma partners may find very compelling. This allows us to be extremely creative and nimble with our studies, in close collaboration with the peptide development team.

We’re still a really tiny company. This is intentional. There are now thirteen of us. We rely on a broad base of outside consultants and CROs. A lean internal environment keeps the environment highly collaborative and tightly focused. This is still the stage where everybody knows everybody by name and we still have "all-hands" meetings where we sit down for two days and everyone gets to talk about their very cross-functional projects. It's a highly unusual and special culture. 

This is an in-person job. At this stage of development, things move very quickly; you must be present in the office for it all to happen. We expect you to think about work when you’re not at work, and we expect that you'll want to think about work when you're not at work. There’s a real buzz in the business right now, and it feels like anything just might be possible.

Team members in the biology group are invited to join because they understand how to effectively test new drug candidates for safety and efficacy, as well as dream about new targets for future development. When we review resumes, we think "what's the chance that this person wants to learn and understand how to move a drug candidate from idea to clinical application? What makes it look like this person is curious about this kind of science?"

So, what does this position actually do? As our chemistry team are experts at developing novel synthetic ligands, they must be guided by the biology team with regards to appropriate drug targets, and the necessary path toward understanding both safety and efficacy testing. There are many aspects to that - from primary research to de novo analysis design to results analysis to optimization. Different people in the department pick up and help with different parts of the process based on their skills, interests, and availability. Overall, research- and analysis-forward personalities tend to be the most successful, as virtually all of our rational design work begins with broad analysis of primary literature.

Basic biological research in a small, lightweight discovery business with a great culture and an appreciation for what basic scientists can do to help move human health forward.

If that sounds like a dream job to you – it’s probably going to be a dream job for you.

The job is open now. PhD preferred but not required. Candidates with Bachelors or Masters degrees will fall below the base salary ranges listed below, but undergrads with research experience as undergrads are already making great contributions in our discovery workflows.