We’re a DARPA-backed biotech startup founded by academics from Harvard and UCSF. Our goal is to radically alter drug design and disease control—by developing the first mutating, ‘resistance-proof’ therapeutics to target rapidly evolving pathogens and cancers.
Current drugs are static biological or pharmaceutical compounds. The problem is that these non-evolving interventions are used to target evolving disease targets that rapidly mutate across patients and populations. The mismatch between non-adaptive therapeutics and adaptive disease targets is the reason that many pathogens and cancers emerge resistant to drug control and untreatable.
We aim to obviate resistance by developing (the first) mutating therapeutics—drugs that co-evolve with infectious diseases like HIV and Zika to maintain lifelong control. Imagine taking a drug (or flu vaccine) once in your life and never needing to worry about that disease or any of its evolved variants again.
If you'd like more info, please check out our recent Bloomberg interview:
Print: www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-14/mutant-hiv-viruses-fight-new-infections-in-two-brothers-labs
Radio: www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2016-07-14/bay-state-biotech-report-brothers-mutant-hiv-fighting-viruses
We have a number of positions open—this ad focuses on the mathematical modeling positions (we’re also looking for bio and chemical engineers to help genetically engineer and test the therapies).
An ideal modeling candidate has strong experience using and developing deterministic and probabilistic approaches to analyze dynamical systems (genetic evolution and disease transmission being two examples). A Ph.D. is preferred, but your research experience and passion are more important.
You’ll be working closely with experimentalists (at the company and at universities) to probe whether our prototype therapies can safely control fast-changing viruses. We’ll build bioreactors to test your predictions. So, you’ll be developing (and publishing) new science, while helping optimize new potential cures.
If your quantitative skills are exceptional and you’re passionate about learning biology, we’ll train you in the biology. We’d love to see some of your work.
Benefits:
Our scientists are full-time employees with competitive salaries and stock options in an early growth-stage company (with a number of first-in-class drugs in the preclinical pipeline).
We also offer medical & dental insurance, 401(k) plans, commuter and fitness benefits, and engaging places to work (e.g., New Lab in Brooklyn, UCSF campus in San Francisco).
For the academic-minded, you will be able to publish, present at conferences, attend DARPA workshops, and work closely with collaborators at seven academic institutions.
Please send an email (with your CV) to ariel@autonomous.bio -- we look forward to hearing from you.