Director, In Vivo Pharmacology

Are you passionate about research in oncology? Are you a world champion in designing and executing in vivo preclinical studies? Do you want to be part of a strong global research team on an exciting journey to bring better treatments to patients? Then you might be exactly who we are looking for!

Director, In Vivo Pharmacology

Galecto, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to the development of novel small molecule therapeutics directed at biological targets which are at the heart of cancer and fibrosis. We have recently completed a successful IPO on Nasdaq US and raised more than $150 million in 2020 to accelerate development of its clinical pipeline and support preparations for potential EU conditional approval of GB0139 in IPF and multiple new phase II clinical trials.

Galecto was founded by leading fibrosis-focused scientists and biotech executives and is built on more than 10 years of research into galectin and fibrosis modulators. Our team has developed a deep understanding of the galectin family of proteins and the LOXL2 enzyme, and how both influence multiple biological pathways of these complex, often devastating, diseases. Currently, we are running four clinical trials in cancer and fibrosis.

The position

Preferably based in UK (preferably Stevenage, London, or Edinburgh), with potential travel across the UK and EU, working closely with colleagues within Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry, Nonclinical, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, you will have specific responsibility for the design, implementation, and management of all Galecto’s external in vivo studies at CROs and academic collaborators.

• You will be working with Galecto’s pharmacology team and senior leaders to design and execute in vivo studies for discovery candidates in inflammation, fibrosis and oncology
• You will collaborate with CROs and academic collaborators, design and implement studies that will enable key mechanistic and biological hypotheses to be evaluated consistent with the timing and goals of the project; manage selection and outsourcing of the study, study design and data analysis to build disease association, characterise target expression/engagement, efficacy and PK/PD of small molecule inhibitors
• You will be establishing and effectively managing external stakeholders, CROs and academic collaborations, as required, to deliver work packages consistent with program needs
• You will be responsible for presenting at internal and external meetings in addition to authorship of peer reviewed manuscripts and presentation of original work at scientific conferences and symposia

Qualifications

• You are a strong team player and passionate about driving activities and results together with colleagues
• You preferably have a PhD (or equivalent) in relevant area of cell biology or pharmacology and demonstrable experience (+10 years) in industry/biotech of drug discovery
• You have extensive experience with small molecule drug discovery and development ideally with exposure to drug discovery projects in an immune-oncology setting
• You are an insightful and curious biologist with exceptional knowledge of in vivo pharmacology models for oncology.
• You enjoy hands on involvement and setting up/validating in vivo models and disease relevant endpoints, plus thorough understanding of study design and the 3R’s
• You have experience in studying tumour microenvironment
• You possess a translational mindset and is strong in predicting and linking activities related to clinical development ensuring consideration of aspects such as biomarker development and PK and assessment of PK and bio distribution
• You are a pragmatic trouble-shooter able to adapt ideas and experiments to achieve key project objectives and adhere to timelines
• You are experienced and passionate about managing complex external collaborations/partnerships, as well as mentoring teams/individual scientists to successfully achieve project goals
• You are an excellent communicator (written and verbal) and influencer with an inclusive open-minded personality

As the preclinical area within Galecto expands, we are looking for a highly motivated and skilled Director of In vivo Pharmacology to take an active role in driving the drug discovery projects. You will be collaborating closely with our in-house Edinburgh in vivo office/laboratories in the NINE BioQuarter in Edinburgh, UK. You will have a unique opportunity to part of driving the drug discovery process from preclinical through to the clinical phases in a dynamic and ambitious biotech team. You will report to the Head of Pharmacology.

If the above description sparks a fire inside, we hope to hear from you!

For further information, please contact our VP, Pharmacology, Rob Slack, email: rjslack@galecto.com, or our Head of People, Pernille Aasholm, email: pah@galecto.com.

Applications

Applications should be submitted no later than 1st February 2022. Please observe that there will be an on-going screening process and that the position can be filled before last application date. Please send your application by using the following link: https://galecto.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=21.

Diversity is decremental to our culture, why giving full and fair consideration to all applicants without regard to gender, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, cultural background, social group, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status age or political opinion is paramount to us.

With office locations around the world and over 15 nationalities, we’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace with diverse perspectives and ideas. We work hard every day, but we also take the time to catch up with colleagues over a cup of coffee because our team is just as important as our science!

Find out more here.

For further information about GALECTO see www.galecto.com