Oorspronkelijke vacature omschrijving:

About Cristal Therapeutics

Cristal Therapeutics is a highly innovative biotech company and applies three distinct and interconnected technologies together with biologic insight to improve the therapeutic profile of our own and partners’ product development. Based on over 10 years of experience, Cristal’s CliCr®, CriPec® and CriVac® technologies provide superior conjugation, enhance target specificity and engender highly selective immune responses, respectively, thereby increasing efficacy and reducing toxicity. In house, there is explicit focus on an siRNA product pipeline. Besides, the company aims to be the partner of choice for unleashing the full potential of e.g. chemotherapeutic agents, immuno-oncology treatments and vaccines, amongst a broader range of therapeutics, tuned to modality and indication. Currently, we have a vacancy for a principal scientist RNA Biology to pursue our ambitious endeavours.

The position

In your position as principal scientist RNA biology, you will be guiding research and development of novel RNA based therapeutics which will be combined with our enabling platforms. The successful candidate will have a strong research track record in molecular biology and RNAi, translational product development, is analytically minded, and embraces data-driven decision making. You will be part of a multidisciplinary team and will have close interactions with industrial and academic collaborators and service providers. The selected candidate is expected to be a key contributor to the growth of our emerging portfolio of nucleic acid – based therapeutic products in oncology and beyond.

The challenge

In your job as principal scientist RNA biology you:

• Guide therapeutic RNA lead selection and lead optimisation
• Guide the design of new therapeutic RNA modalities
• Work with CDMOs for the synthesis of candidate therapeutic RNAs
• Design key experiments to validate identified targets and evaluate the therapeutic feasibility of RNA modalities
• Provide essential design criteria for the nanomedicine/bioconjugate to be generated by (formulation) scientist, and draft together the product development strategy
• Guide the design of biological assays to evaluate the therapeutic potential of our oligonucleotide product candidates, incl. coordination of activities at external parties (either academic or commercial research organisations)
• Work effectively and closely with multidisciplinary team across multiple fields, including chemistry, formulation, and analytics
• Take part in project teams, and as a member you will:
• Identify the key biological questions per project, select the most appropriate biological setup and identify the best service providers to perform the biological studies
• Contribute to scientifically sound project plans based on mutually defined quality criteria together with the project team (and external collaborators where applicable)
• Execute agreed project plan in line with pre-set quality levels on content, timelines and budget (including resources)
• Serve as expert on nucleic acid chemistry, biology and therapeutic applications and provide molecular biology expertise to support the various development programs (both internal and external)

The profile

• PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, or related biomedical field
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience within the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, more specifically in the early-stage development of oligonucleotide products
• Experience with structure simulation, design, modification and stability improvement of potential RNA therapies
• Knowledge on RNA formulations, and the key success factors and challenges hereof (e.g. LNP, galnac conjugates etc. and intracellular uptake, endosomal escape etc. respectively)
• Experience with using a QA/QC system, accordingly familiar with corresponding guidelines and infrastructure

Your skills

• Excellent communication skills with colleagues and partners from highly diverse backgrounds
• Proven ability to analyse multi-factorial data, provide conclusions, design next steps independently and present to multidisciplinary team
• Optimal organisation skills: You have the ability to work on multiple projects under time pressure without compromising on quality
• Strong analytical aptitude with an ability to work in the interface of chemistry and biology
• You have a goal-oriented, and innovative approach to problem solving
• You are a self-starter eager to work in a flexible environment with a pro-active, hands-on and multi-disciplinary mind-set
• Quality awareness
• Team player, eager to contribute to the success of a small, innovative company
• Fluent in English both in word and writing

What Cristal Therapeutics offers

• Opportunity to use your talents and competences in the development of innovative drug products, and to further strengthen them
• Continued industrial training, including goal-oriented project management
• A competitive remuneration package
• Opportunities to grow both from content perspective as well as on a personal level
• Work in a small multidisciplinary team with ambitious colleagues to enable successful worldwide product development

Is this your next growth step?

Please send your C.V. and motivation letter in English to the attention of Dr. Marielle Thewissen, Director Translational Medicine, to email-address: vacancies@cristaltherapeutics.com before 30 April 2022.