Earli exists to make cancer a benign experience. Earli does that by turning cancers against themselves: genetically forcing them to reveal themselves early, and then kill themselves – precisely and clearly distinguishable from benign lesions at early stages. Based on original technology from Stanford’s renowned Gambhir lab, Earli designs genetic constructs that are injected intravenously that turn cancer cells against themselves. These programmable synthetic promoter-reporter sequences “flip on” like light switches only in dysregulated cancer cells and turn them into "factories." The cancer is forced to produce either an epitope “docking station” for imaging agents, or a cytokine for immune system activation against the tumor. Thus, Earli’s platform enables immediate diagnosis and treatment of early cancers, rather than long-term observation that can lead to deadly metastatic recurrence.
Earli's synthetic target expression platform has evolved over five years of deep bioengineering. The system can now detect broad ranges of patient mutations, distinguish between malignant and benign lesions, and offer independence from often elusive natural biomarkers.
Who You Are
- You share our same sense of dedication, scientific passion and entrepreneurial spirit
- You work well in a fast-paced and extremely focused startup environment
- You are not only smart, but clever and constantly think outside the box
- You are able to make logical decisions in an instant when there is little time to evaluate
- You are a natural communicator and relationship builder
- You stay calm under high pressure and stress
- You have the ability to multi-task in a serious way, with an extreme attention to detail
- You become a representative of the core DNA of the company through who you are
The Position
Earli, Inc. is currently seeking a highly motivated and committed Scientist / Senior Scientist for our Therapeutics team with a background in immuno-oncology. This position will report to the Head of Therapeutics.
Your Primary Responsibilities
Earli’s platform technology uses cancer-activated gene expression to usurp the dysregulated pathways that lead to malignancy. As a scientist or senior scientist you will be leveraging this platform for the creation of novel immuno-oncology therapeutic approaches to treat cancer. Within this context, you will:
- Utilize a wide variety of cellular immunology and molecular immunology techniques to contribute to the identification and validation of therapeutic targets
- Design and execute strategies in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models for the development of novel gene therapy for the treatment of cancer.
- Previous experience with cytokine, immuno-cytokine, immunomodulatory and/or bispecific T cell engagers therapeutics would be preferred
- Use immunology techniques including cytokine analysis, functional assays, imaging, and cell biology in the context of the tumor microenvironment in order to ascertain mechanism of action or immune-based tumor-cell killing. Experience with cancer cell death-based immunogenicity and approaches to trigger that would be preferred.
- Work with other team members to generate appropriate efficacy and safety data packages for the advancement of clinical candidates for regulatory submission.
- Document results and communicate findings to internal teams and to external partners
Your Required Experience, Knowledge and Skill
- PhD in immunology, cell biology, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 4+ years of industry experience developing immuno-oncology or gene therapy approaches that engage the immune system. Similar experience in graduate school or post doc would be an additional plus.
- Have an exceptionally strong background in immuno-oncology or cellular mechanisms of oncogenesis including a proficient understanding of the innate and adaptive immune response to cancer.
- Strong preference given to protein engineering and molecular cloning particularly for the expression of modified proteins including cytokines and other biologics
- Must have technical expertise with in vitro cellular & molecular immunology assays
- Must be proficient with flow cytometry acquisition and analysis
- Hands-on molecular biology experience that includes DNA and RNA isolation, various cloning techniques & strategies, PCR, qPCR, and standard biochemical assays
- Previous experience with nucleic acid based expression approaches including viral and non-viral transductions methods as well as engineering cell lines for various readouts and functions is preferred
- Must be able to think outside of the box
- Ability to integrate and collaborate into a high achieving team environment
- Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and meet aggressive project timelines
- Exceptional verbal communication and scientific writing skills are required
- Desire to continue to contribute in a laboratory focused role
The base salary for this position is $110-$145k per year
If interested in applying, please attach a CV or have a well-developed LinkedIn profile for us to be able to assess your background.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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What We Do
Earli mission is to make cancer a benign experience. Rather than rely on biomarkers that cancer may - or often may not - naturally provide, Earli's technology *forces* cancer cells to make a synthetic, non-human biomarker using gene therapy approaches. It's called a Synthetic Biopsy. It can then localize the cancer in a PET scanner. Earli has been funded by Andreessen Horowitz's Bio Fund, Khosla, Perceptive Advisors, Casdin Capital, Sands Capital, Marc Benioff, Menlo Ventures, ZhenFund. Earli is based in the West Coast’s prime biotech hub in South San Francisco.
