Translational Medicine Lead - Inflammation
BioSpace, Palo Alto, California, United States, 94306
Location
Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Virtual-but-local model: candidates may work remotely but must be available for weekly in-person meetings at our Palo Alto headquarters.
Company Overview We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies for patients with serious unmet medical needs, with an emphasis on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We operate in a fast‑paced, highly collaborative, and science‑driven environment, and value entrepreneurial individuals who enjoy building processes, solving complex problems, and contributing hands‑on to the advancement of clinical programs.
Role Summary We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated translational medicine scientist to help bridge discovery, preclinical development, and early clinical programs. The successful candidate will play a central role in defining translational strategies that enable efficient progression of our pipeline from mechanism to patients, with a strong emphasis on biomarker strategy, human disease relevance, and clinical readiness.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a dynamic startup environment, enjoys working across scientific disciplines, and is excited to make direct, hands‑on contributions to the translational strategy and execution of clinical‑stage programs.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and execute translational medicine strategies to support preclinical and early clinical programs, ensuring strong alignment between mechanism, biomarkers, and clinical hypotheses
Define and drive biomarker strategies across discovery, IND‑enabling, and clinical stages, including pharmacodynamic, predictive, and exploratory biomarkers
Integrate human biology, disease pathophysiology, and preclinical data to inform target validation, indication selection, dose rationale, and clinical development plans
Partner closely with research, clinical development, clinical operations, regulatory, and external collaborators to ensure seamless translation from preclinical models to patients
Support IND‑enabling activities, including contributions to translational sections of regulatory documents and clinical protocols
Oversee and manage external CROs and academic collaborators supporting translational studies and biomarker development
Analyze and interpret complex datasets (preclinical, translational, and early clinical) to inform program decisions and development strategy
Clearly communicate translational rationale, risks, and opportunities to cross‑functional teams and senior leadership
Contribute to scientific publications, conference presentations, and intellectual property related to translational and biomarker efforts
Help build scalable translational medicine processes and contribute to the growth, culture, and operational excellence of the organization
Required Qualifications
PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in a relevant biomedical or life sciences discipline with 8+ years of relevant experience in biotech and/or pharmaceutical industry. Prefer Director level experience. Title will be commensurate with experience
Demonstrated experience designing and executing translational strategies that bridge preclinical research and early clinical development. Experience working with CROs to develop and run assays.
Strong understanding of immunology, inflammation, human disease biology, and translational biomarkers. Experience in Rheumatoid arthritis and/or fibrosis a plus.
Experience supporting IND‑enabling activities and early‑phase clinical programs including healthy volunteer studies
Strong interpretative and hypothesis generation ability that complements strong analysis skills of large omics data sets
Discovery and creative mindset along with proven ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary, fast‑moving, matrixed team environments
Highly self‑motivated, execution‑driven, and scientifically rigorous
Strong record of scientific contributions, including publications and/or patents
Prior experience in a startup or small biotech environment
Key Competencies
Strong translational and integrative scientific thinking
Excellent organizational and project management skills
Clear and effective communicator with the ability to influence across functions
Proactive problem‑solver who is comfortable operating in ambiguity
Team‑oriented leader with a strong sense of ownership and accountability
Hands‑on mindset balanced with strategic perspective
Why Join Us
Opportunity to make a direct and visible impact on the translational strategy of clinical‑stage programs
High level of responsibility and scientific influence in a growing startup
Collaborative, rigorous, and science‑first culture
Competitive compensation and benefits
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Virtual-but-local model: candidates may work remotely but must be available for weekly in-person meetings at our Palo Alto headquarters.
Company Overview We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies for patients with serious unmet medical needs, with an emphasis on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We operate in a fast‑paced, highly collaborative, and science‑driven environment, and value entrepreneurial individuals who enjoy building processes, solving complex problems, and contributing hands‑on to the advancement of clinical programs.
Role Summary We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated translational medicine scientist to help bridge discovery, preclinical development, and early clinical programs. The successful candidate will play a central role in defining translational strategies that enable efficient progression of our pipeline from mechanism to patients, with a strong emphasis on biomarker strategy, human disease relevance, and clinical readiness.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a dynamic startup environment, enjoys working across scientific disciplines, and is excited to make direct, hands‑on contributions to the translational strategy and execution of clinical‑stage programs.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and execute translational medicine strategies to support preclinical and early clinical programs, ensuring strong alignment between mechanism, biomarkers, and clinical hypotheses
Define and drive biomarker strategies across discovery, IND‑enabling, and clinical stages, including pharmacodynamic, predictive, and exploratory biomarkers
Integrate human biology, disease pathophysiology, and preclinical data to inform target validation, indication selection, dose rationale, and clinical development plans
Partner closely with research, clinical development, clinical operations, regulatory, and external collaborators to ensure seamless translation from preclinical models to patients
Support IND‑enabling activities, including contributions to translational sections of regulatory documents and clinical protocols
Oversee and manage external CROs and academic collaborators supporting translational studies and biomarker development
Analyze and interpret complex datasets (preclinical, translational, and early clinical) to inform program decisions and development strategy
Clearly communicate translational rationale, risks, and opportunities to cross‑functional teams and senior leadership
Contribute to scientific publications, conference presentations, and intellectual property related to translational and biomarker efforts
Help build scalable translational medicine processes and contribute to the growth, culture, and operational excellence of the organization
Required Qualifications
PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in a relevant biomedical or life sciences discipline with 8+ years of relevant experience in biotech and/or pharmaceutical industry. Prefer Director level experience. Title will be commensurate with experience
Demonstrated experience designing and executing translational strategies that bridge preclinical research and early clinical development. Experience working with CROs to develop and run assays.
Strong understanding of immunology, inflammation, human disease biology, and translational biomarkers. Experience in Rheumatoid arthritis and/or fibrosis a plus.
Experience supporting IND‑enabling activities and early‑phase clinical programs including healthy volunteer studies
Strong interpretative and hypothesis generation ability that complements strong analysis skills of large omics data sets
Discovery and creative mindset along with proven ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary, fast‑moving, matrixed team environments
Highly self‑motivated, execution‑driven, and scientifically rigorous
Strong record of scientific contributions, including publications and/or patents
Prior experience in a startup or small biotech environment
Key Competencies
Strong translational and integrative scientific thinking
Excellent organizational and project management skills
Clear and effective communicator with the ability to influence across functions
Proactive problem‑solver who is comfortable operating in ambiguity
Team‑oriented leader with a strong sense of ownership and accountability
Hands‑on mindset balanced with strategic perspective
Why Join Us
Opportunity to make a direct and visible impact on the translational strategy of clinical‑stage programs
High level of responsibility and scientific influence in a growing startup
Collaborative, rigorous, and science‑first culture
Competitive compensation and benefits
#J-18808-Ljbffr