Senior Scientist / Principal Scientist, Cancer Biology/Immunology

Company Summary:

Leap Therapeutics (Nasdaq: LPTX) is focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics. Leap’s most advanced clinical candidate, DKN-01, is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) protein. DKN-01 is being developed in patients with esophagogastric, gynecologic, and colorectal cancers. FL-301, is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting Claudin18.2, being developed in patients with gastric and pancreatic cancer. Leap also has preclinical antibody programs targeting Claudin18.2/CD137 and GDF-15. For more information about Leap Therapeutics, please visit http://www.leaptx.com.

General Responsibilities:

Leap Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated individual with experience in cancer biology or immuno-oncology using in vitro and in vivo experimental approaches with the goal of advancing drug discovery programs. As a member of the Research & Translational Team, he/she will act as the subject matter expert and will play a lead role in bringing preclinical programs to IND while working within a highly collaborative team environment.

The successful candidate will focus on the design and execution of experiments through Contract Research Organizations (CROs) aimed at understanding the mechanism of action of drug candidates and identifying new tumor indications and combination therapies to support Leap’s clinical development strategy.

Specific responsibilities include:

Play a key role in the development of new biologic drugs for cancer therapy
Serve as a project lead providing scientific insight and drug development leadership
Identify relevant in vitro immune cell assays and tumor mouse models to enable functional validation and demonstrate mechanism of action of drug candidates
Manage and direct collaborations with external resources (CRO)
Provide scientific interpretation of experimental results and propose next steps and future directions to cross-functional project teams
Maintain knowledge of latest external innovations and advancements in oncology to drive and evolve strategies accordingly
Work collaboratively within the Leap Tx team to facilitate success of internal and external projects

Education / Experience / Skills:

D degree in cancer biology / immunology or related field or M.S. with relevant drug discovery expertise and track record of accomplishments
5+ years of relevant experience including 2+ years in industry
Strong understanding of cancer biology, immune-oncology and immunotherapy
Prior experience working with CROs is required
Mastery of functional assays with cell lines and primary immune cells
Familiarity with mutli-color flow cytometry, tumor mouse models, ELISAs, IHC, RNA-Seq and Nanostring
Demonstrate ability to organize and communicate complex data sets in a clear and concise manner to cross-functional audiences
Strong organizational and time-management skills including the ability to manage several projects simultaneously
Excellent problem-solving abilities with the desire to produce high quality data
Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills to work within a team and across functions
Self-motivated, conscientious, and enthusiastic about curing cancer

Leap is an equal opportunity employer and extends equal opportunity to all individuals, without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, genetic disposition, caregiver status, reproductive health decisions, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking, credit history, criminal history, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances. We are committed to creating and maintaining a workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the business and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives.