SENIOR SCIENTIST – PROTEIN ENGINEERING AND ANTIBODY-BASED THERAPEUTICS (BIOLOGY GROUP)

About us

Philogen is a Swiss-Italian integrated biotechnology company founded in 1996, dedicated to developing innovative biopharmaceuticals for cancer therapy (http://www.philogen.com). Philochem AG is the discovery R&D center of the Philogen Group located in Otelfingen (Zurich, Switzerland). Promising preclinical candidates developed at Philochem are subsequently produced at Philogen’s authorized Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities in Siena (Italy). The Company currently sponsors and coordinates Phase I, II and III prospective clinical trials in Europe and in the United States. Despite the focus on cancer research, the company is also active in discovering innovative therapies for inflammatory conditions.

Philochem operates with four key departments:

• Biology: Discovery of innovative therapeutic proteins.
• Cell Line Development: Development of GMP-ready mammalian cell lines expressing therapeutic proteins.
• Chemistry: Creating diagnostic and therapeutic targeted small organic molecules.
• Mass Spectrometry: Bridging Biology and Chemistry to support the advancement of preclinical and clinical products.

Your Role

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Scientist to join our Biology team. In this role, you will contribute to the advancement of our antibody-based pipeline (mainly in oncology) by performing activities supporting the translation of therapeutic candidates from preclinical to clinical development. Your work will focus on the design, cloning, production, and purification of novel antibody-based therapeutics. You will lead in vitro and in vivo preclinical testing of these candidates to assess their potential for clinical translation. Projects may also involve collaborations with prominent Universities or partnered Pharmaceutical companies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct in vitro and in vivo testing of the generated novel biologics.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Biology, Chemistry, and Mass Spectrometry groups.
• Utilize a variety of molecular biology, protein expression, and purification techniques to advance therapeutic prototypes.
• Present research findings to internal teams and external scientific audiences through publications, presentations, posters and reports.
• Perform activities related to scientific research conducted in the laboratory, including experimental study design, planning, execution, analysis, and reporting.
• Responsible for problem-solving and the development of innovative and pragmatic solutions to scientific and technical challenges.

Who We Are Looking For

Required Experience:

• Doctoral Degree in Biology, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, preferably with experience in discovery projects supporting the development of biologics.
• Strong knowledge of immunology and antibody-based therapeutics.
• Expertise in molecular biology techniques (e.g., primer design, cloning, PCR, vector design).
• Experience with protein expression and purification (both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems).
• Proficiency in analytical protein biochemistry (e.g., SDS-PAGE, Size Exclusion Chromatography, flow cytometry, surface plasmon resonance).
• Experience with conducting in vivo experiments in rodent models (LTK1 or FELASA certificate required).
• Strong scientific writing and PowerPoint presentation skills.

Additional Experience/Skills:

• Experience with Encoded Library Technologies, such as Phage Display, Mammalian Display, Yeast display, Ribosome Display is a plus
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical information in an accessible manner.
• Must be highly independent, able to work in a fast-growing and highly diverse international team.
• Collaborative team player with a curiosity-driven approach to research.
• Fluency in English (both oral and written).

Why Philogen?

As a Senior Scientist at Philochem you will:

• Work on groundbreaking projects in antibody therapeutics.
• Collaborate with leading experts in academia and industry.
• Gain hands-on experience with advanced molecular and protein engineering techniques.
• Strengthen expertise on preclinical research.
• Gain experience on GMP manufacturing and clinical research.