Senior Principal Scientist

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life, increasing potential duration of life, and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit, we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission, and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summit’s core values include integrity, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, collaboration, and our commitment to people.

Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture, and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence.

Summit’s team is inspired to touch and help change lives through Summit’s clinical studies in the field of oncology. Summit has multiple global Phase 3 clinical studies, including:

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

HARMONi:
Phase 3 clinical study which was intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who were previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI.

HARMONi-3:
Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

HARMONi-7:
Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

HARMONi-GI3:
Phase 3 clinical study intended to evaluate ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy compared with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy not presently approved by any regulatory authority other than China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Summit is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has additional offices in California, New Jersey, the UK, and Ireland.

Overview of Role:

This is a hands-on, laboratory-based role in cell biology, focused on antibody screening and functional characterization in oncology and immunology. The scientist takes primary responsibility for bench work, from binding assays through immune-effector and cell-killing assays, and contributes directly to the discovery, characterization, and advancement of new antibody pipeline candidates.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Antibody Screening and Binding Characterization
• Perform antibody ELISA (binding, specificity, and cross-reactivity) to screen and rank candidate antibodies.
• Run cell-based binding assays on target-expressing tumor and immune cell lines and primary cells, typically by flow cytometry, to assess binding strength and specificity.
• Develop, optimize, and qualify assays, and analyze and summarize screening data to support candidate selection.
• Immune-Cell Functional Assays
• Run PBMC-based tumor-killing assays and co-culture systems using primary human immune cells.
• Measure T cell and NK cell activation, including activation markers, proliferation, cytokine release, and cytotoxicity.
• Evaluate regulatory T cell (Treg) depletion and shifts in immune-cell composition after antibody treatment.
• Use mechanistic findings to inform indication selection, rational combinations, and biomarker development.
• Fc-Effector Function Characterization
• Design and execute ADCC, CDC, and ADCP assays to characterize the effector function of candidate antibodies.
• Compare candidates across Fc formats, target-expression levels, and cell models to understand mechanism of action, evaluate antibody potency and safety.
• Support animal studies, including PK/PD experiments, to connect in vitro activity with in vivo exposure and pharmacodynamic response.
• Work with contract research organizations and academic laboratories to extend in vitro…