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 dynamic individual who is inspired to change the world by pushing the scientific envelope. She/he will have the title of Head of Therapeutics and will lead Earli’s efforts in developing novel gene therapy or cell therapy agents for the treatment of cancer. This position will report to the Chief Scientific Officer and is based in Redwood City, CA.
Your Primary Responsibilities
- Lead the Earli Therapeutics Team to develop and advance novel non-viral gene therapy approaches using the Earli platform for for the treatment of cancer.
- Drive high-level strategy to down-select specific candidates for clinical development and generate appropriate efficacy and safety data packages for regulatory submission
- Ensure that innovation is coupled with scientific rigor to drive program development strategies
- Work with cross functional team leads (Gene Regulation, Delivery, Translational Biology) to create and execute on research roadmap for clear no-go/go decisions under expedited timelines
- Act as the primary stakeholder to drive and communicate milestones and timelines to other senior leaders within the company as well as to external collaborators and advisors
- Inspire, develop and empower the therapeutics team as well as provide technical expertise/scientific guidance
- Write technical sections for IND and other regulatory filings
- Work with the Head of BD and CSO to establish external partnerships with key pharma collaborators and academic labs
- Work with the CSO and SAB members/KOLs to develop Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for lead therapeutic programs and ensure alignment of pre-clinical development strategy with TPP
Your Required Experience, Knowledge and Skills
- PhD or advanced degree in Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 10+ years of firsthand industry experience in developing cancer therapeutics using engineered proteins delivered via gene therapy approaches including ‘first in class’ products as well as ‘best in class’ products
- 8+ years direct experience building, inspiring, and managing high-performing multidisciplinary teams in biopharma
- Strategic thinker with deep expertise in advancing novel gene therapy drugs with a track record of having taken one or more drugs from white board to IND and clinical studies
- Deep expertise in immuno-oncology drug development is strongly preferred
- Strong track record of scientific productivity as evidenced by high-quality, impactful publications
- Thrive in a collaborative team setting and be driven to be innovative in a high energy, small company environment
- Ability to handle multiple workflows simultaneously and meet aggressive project timelines
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!
Top Skills
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.
