As a Principal Scientist - DMPK, you will join a small team and lead several programs and develop analytical methods to quantitate compounds and metabolites in biological fluids.  Additionally, you will design and conduct experiments to understand the absorption distribution, metabolism, excretion and transport (ADME) properties of drug candidates to support research and development candidate selection. 

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage in-vivo and in-vitro ADME/PK studies to support drug discovery and early development of small molecules.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists to design drug candidates that avoid metabolic liabilities and evaluate them based on potency, ADME profile, and drug-drug interaction liabilities.
• Mentor and motivate the in-house DMPK team, fostering a collaborative and proactive environment.
• Provide technical expertise and support in the use of standard PK and PD data analysis software, including Phoenix WinNonlin, NONMEM, and similar tools.
• Deep understanding of drug metabolism and how contribute in drug exposure. Preferable hands on experience with hepatocytes MetID.
• Evaluate and interpret in vitro and in vivo DMPK data, working with DMPK colleagues to design studies that address key project issues.
• Provide scientific expertise on experimental design, data analysis, interpretation, reporting, and leading the PK/PD analysis for the assigned projects.
• Perform and lead non-compartmental PK modeling
• Assist in troubleshooting and routine sample analysis of established bioanalytical methods and develop/optimize method of analysis as needed.
• Contribute to protocols and reports for IND submissions
• Manage and troubleshoot DMPK activities and instrument/assay issues as they arise.

Qualifications

• PhD degree in Pharmacokinetics, Drug Metabolism, or a related life sciences degree with 12+ years of experience in small molecule development; industry experience is highly preferred, but will consider commensurate postdoc experience
• Demonstrated experience designing and conducting experiments in support of DMPK lead optimization and candidate selection activities
• Hands-on experience designing, analyzing and interpreting drug metabolism and PK studies.
• Expertise and experience in the following areas:
• State of the art bioanalysis by LC/MS/MS and related techniques
• Metabolite identification and reactive metabolite chemistry
• Hands on ADME assays like CYP enzymes inhibition, induction and/or transporters assays
• Principals, theories and approaches to understand pharmacokinetics, drug disposition and drug interactions
• Application of modeling and prediction methods using software packages
• Familiarity with a range of laboratory automation instrumentation including robotic liquid handlers

Our employees come from different backgrounds, and we celebrate those differences. We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles, but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered. If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team, we would love to hear from you.