Institute Group Leader – In Vivo Biology and Pharmacology

MD ANDERSON THERAPEUTICS DISCOVERY DIVISION

Within The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center lies a powerful engine driving the future of new targeted, immune- and cell-based therapies: the Therapeutics Discovery Division. Therapeutics Discovery eliminates the bottlenecks that hamper traditional drug discovery, with a multidisciplinary team of dedicated researchers, doctors, drug developers and scientific experts working together to develop small-molecule drugs, biologics and cellular therapies. Our unique structure and collaborative approach allow the team to work with agility, bringing novel medicines from concept to clinic quickly and efficiently – all under the same roof.

The Therapeutics Discovery Division is built around four platforms: The Institute for Applied Cancer Science (IACS), ORBIT (Oncology Research for Biologics and Immunotherapy Translation), TRACTION (Translational Research to Advance Therapeutics and Innovation in Oncology) and the Neurodegeneration Consortium.

The IACS platform is focused on discovering and developing the next generation of small-molecule targeted therapies, driven by the needs we see in our patients. The team aligns world-class drug discovery and development research with the science and clinical care for which MD Anderson is known. We work in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment with a focus on team science and interdisciplinary research. Our unique approach has created a biotech-like engine within the walls of the nation’s leading cancer center to bring life-saving medicines to our patients more quickly and effectively. This model already has achieved results, with multiple programs currently in clinical and late-stage preclinical development.

As part of the IACS team, the Group Leader will lead all in vivo pharmacology efforts to position our preclinical drug discovery efforts for clinical success, both in monotherapy in distinct patient sub-populations, and as combination therapies. He/She will lead a sizeable team of in vivo scientists, and deploy the most appropriate preclinical models to enable successful drug development, leveraging full access to MD Anderson pre-clinical models.  This position will require overseeing oncology model development, in vivo pharmacology study design, execution and analysis to enable clinical candidate selection.   The Group Leader will be responsible for working effectively with multidisciplinary project teams to ensure the success of projects, and development of compelling translational data sets to support IND filing and subsequent clinical trials.  Additionally, as part of TDD’s internal and external partnerships the Group leader will participate in helping to position external assets for clinical development.  The Group leader will also oversee in vivo biology efforts to identify, develop, biobank and utilize oncology mouse models to enable translational biology efforts to inform on patient selection and biomarkers for clinical development of compounds.  These efforts will allow us to advance novel therapeutics currently under development by our Therapeutics Discovery teams and partners.

By joining the Therapeutics Discovery Division, you have the opportunity to use your talents to make a direct impact on the lives of our patients. We are seeking a highly motivated and collaborative individual to become a part of our team. Ideal candidates will have a proven track record of leading an in vivo pharmacology team, experience progressing molecules through preclinical studies into an IND filing, excellent communication, collaboration, organization and leadership skills.  

KEY FUNCTIONS:

1. Lead in vivo pharmacology efforts for IACS’ drug discovery projects, and coordinate in vivo pharmacology efforts,  leveraging resources in other functional areas, to deliver compelling translational data sets to advance IACS’ drug discovery programs into clinical proof-of-concept trials in mono- and combo- therapies in distinct patient populations. 

2. Serve as the in vivo expert and contribute scientifically and technically to the strategy and tactics of multiple projects in the pipeline. 

a. Choose appropriate mechanistic or disease models to inform on target biology, patient stratification and biomarker development.

b. Integrate data and information from those studies to provide a detailed understanding of compound pharmacology in vitro-in vivo correlations. 

3. Oversee efforts to procure, characterize and maintain patient derived and genetically engineered model platforms of cancer and their utilization to support biomarker and translational activities for drug development.

4. Identify, initiate, and manage collaborations with CROs and academic labs. Liaise with MD Anderson support functions and veterinary services to ensure the group’s smooth operations compliance with animal welfare regulations. 

5. Proactively recognize and solve technical and scientific issues to assure high quality data from external resources. 

6. Work effectively with other disciplines, including biology, DMPK, safety and tox to collectively build the preclinical data package for clinical candidate nomination. 

7. Lead a project from early discovery to development candidate.

8. Participate in the R+D Portfolio Management team and influence IACS/TRACTION portfolio strategy.

9. Supervise the in vivo pharmacology team, and performance manage the team by providing mentorship, professional development, guidance and leadership to the team. 

10. Contribute to building a positive, team-oriented biotech culture.