Position Description

Juvena Therapeutics is seeking highly motivated in vivo Scientist to join the in vivo pharmacology team to support early preclinical validation of lead candidates. We are searching for a talented individual who is excited to work as a Scientist in an intimate and small team focused on the discovery, preclinical validation, and clinical translation of novel biologics for chronic and rare degenerative diseases across multiple therapeutic areas such as cardio-metabolic, inflammation and pulmonary areas. The successful candidate should have extensive hands-on experience in surgeries, invasive and noninvasive imaging, including establishing, and characterizing pre-clinical cardiometabolic and inflammation models. The candidate should be able to design, execute & analyze in vivo efficacy studies independently. The scientific knowledge of the cardiometabolic, inflammation, & pulmonary areas is highly desired, as is the ability to present scientific data at in vivo and project-oriented team meetings. The candidate will work collaboratively with various cross-functions within Juvena to support drug discovery projects with pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies as well as efficacy and MOA studies. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of drug discovery, this individual will be involved in validating diverse drug candidates in Juvena’s pipeline as well as supporting external R&D partnerships with academic institutions and technology providers.

Company Summary

Juvena Therapeutics is on a mission to discover and develop biologics for rare and chronic degenerative diseases by mining the secretomes of human pluripotent stem cells through a machine learning (ML)-enhanced platform. Juvena’s approach integrates proteomics, transcriptomics and imaging with phenotypic human in vitro disease model screening and extensive preclinical validation to mine stem cell secretomes as a rich source of new medicines for chronic and rare diseases. We are advancing leads for muscular dystrophies, muscle atrophy, injury, and osteopathies. Since our launch in mid-2018, Juvena has discovered and validated 22 hits for neuromuscular, skeletal, and metabolic diseases. Juvena is advancing a lead program for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, a rare autosomal dominant, progressive muscle-wasting disease.

Juvena Therapeutics has secured venture capital, NIH, and CIRM funding to develop their top lead to a clinical-stage investigational new drug, to build their stem cell secretome database, and to leverage their discovery platform to rapidly identify and validate novel protein-based drug candidates for multiple rare and chronic diseases across inflammatory, cardiometabolic and hepatic therapeutic areas. At Juvena we embrace a diversity of backgrounds, experience and approaches that all combine to lead us to world-class scientific results in an inclusive environment.

Major Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to expand Juvena’s in vivo pharmacology capabilities across multiple organ model systems to support growth of our biologics platform
• Work closely with the preclinical team members to design and execute in vivo experiments to support research and development of Juvena’s drug candidates for cardiometabolic, inflammation & pulmonary diseases
• Involved in in vivo model(s) development including surgical models, & in vivo efficacy studies for pulmonary & respiratory diseases to deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced setting
• Execute experiments following IACUC protocols, laboratory procedures, and safety standards
• Must be proficient in murine handling, dosing (PO, IV, IP, SC), survival and terminal blood collection (SM, tail nick, cardiac puncture), and tissue harvesting at necropsy including fixation, freezing and tissue disaggregation to support ex vivo analyses

• Experience in surgical skills for cardiometabolic models and imaging is required. Perform tissue processing for molecular, biochemical and histological analysis
• Carry out high throughput staining and image analysis
• Support IND-enabling studies for biologics, internally and externally via CRO project management across all phases of Juvena’s discovery and development
• Prepare presentations, technical reports, summaries, protocols
• Keep current with advances in the company’s area of research interest and lead journal club discussions of latest literature and research discoveries
• Contribute to a dynamic and exciting culture that embraces teamwork and innovation

Position Requirements and Experience

• M.S or Ph.D degree in biology, physiology, pharmacology or related field with 3+ years of industry experience (or equivalent). Post-doctoral experience is preferable, but not required.
• Surgical skills, and in vivo imaging experience is required.
• Responsible for maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare and ethical compliance as well as data integrity
• Highly self-motivated, independent, and driven to succeed with strong interpersonal, communication and organization skills.
• Excellent hands-on in vivo skills
• Can work with a diverse team in a highly collaborative growth environment with very strong communication
• The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Documented experience in regenerative medicine
• Successful track record of indication selection and prioritization analyses
• Understanding of how in vivo pharmacology data fits into bioinformatics and machine learning applications for drug discovery, target identification and disease model validation
• Direct experience in managing IND-enabling studies with significant contribution to FDA-approved INDs
• Familiarity with pre-commercial process

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual bonus and stock options
• Health/Dental/Vision insurance
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Partial 401K matching

Apply to this Job through the following means:

• LinkedIn job posting
• Website job posting

Career Opportunities at Juvena Therapeutics, Inc.

At Juvena Therapeutics, we believe everyone deserves a seat at the table and an equal chance at success, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, cultural heritage, or age. Most importantly, we are an equal opportunity employer and respect an individual’s right to freedom of expression within the boundaries of mutual respect and equal treatment.
We are seeking to grow our company with a diverse team of enthusiastic scientists and technologists who share our vision and determination to discover and develop protein-based therapeutics to cure chronic and rare disease and promote healthspan.

Explore all our open positions, and let’s grow together at https://www.juvenatherapeutics.com/careers/.