What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Associate or Senior Research Associate, Drug Discovery position at Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc.?
About Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc.
Acrivon is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing precision medicines utilizing its proprietary Generative Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform. The platform allows the company to interpret and quantify compound specific, drug-regulated pathway activity levels inside the intact cell in an unbiased manner, yielding terabytes of proprietary data and delivering rapid, actionable insights. The Generative Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform is comprised of a growing suite of powerful, internally-developed tools, including the AP3 Data Portal, converting multimodal data into structured data for generative AI analyses, the AP3 Kinase Substrate Relationship Predictor and the AP3 Interactome. These distinctive capabilities enable the company to go beyond the limitations of traditional drug discovery, as well as current AI-based target-centric drug discovery and rapidly design highly differentiated compounds with desirable pathway effects through intracellular protein network analyses and advance these agents into the clinic for streamlined development.
Acrivon is currently advancing its lead program, ACR-368 (also known as prexasertib), a selective small molecule inhibitor targeting CHK1 and CHK2 in a potentially registrational Phase 2 trial for endometrial cancer. The company has received Fast Track designation from the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the investigation of ACR-368 as a monotherapy based on OncoSignature-predicted sensitivity in patients with endometrial cancer. The FDA has granted a Breakthrough Device designation for the ACR-368 OncoSignature assay for the identification of patients with endometrial cancer who may benefit from ACR-368 treatment.
In addition to ACR-368, Acrivon is also leveraging its proprietary Generative Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform for developing its co-crystallography-driven, internally discovered pipeline programs. These include ACR-2316, the company’s second clinical stage asset, and additional internally discovered oncology development candidates.
Our global team operates out of two leading life science clusters, Watertown, MA and Medicon Village in Lund, Sweden.
Position Overview
Acrivon Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated Research Associate to join the Drug Discovery team. This laboratory-based role will support activities across our discovery programs through management of cell and compound inventories, execution of robust cell-based assays, and generation of high-quality experimental data. Working closely with the Biology and Biomarker teams, this individual will contribute to compound profiling, mechanism-of-action studies, and biomarker discovery efforts across oncology and auto-immune/inflammatory programs. This role is ideal for an early-career scientist with strong technical rigor, excellent organizational skills, and a passion for translational drug discovery.
This position offers the opportunity to work closely with experienced scientists in a highly collaborative discovery environment with exposure to translational research, biomarker development, and drug discovery activities. The successful candidate will be encouraged to grow scientifically through mentorship, cross-functional collaboration, and increasing technical ownership within the team.
This position is based in Watertown, MA.
Duties and Responsibilities
Acrivon is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing precision medicines utilizing its proprietary Generative Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform. The platform allows the company to interpret and quantify compound specific, drug-regulated pathway activity levels inside the intact cell in an unbiased manner, yielding terabytes of proprietary data and delivering rapid, actionable insights. The Generative Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform is comprised of a growing suite of powerful, internally-developed tools, including the AP3 Data Portal, converting multimodal data into structured data for generative AI analyses, the AP3 Kinase Substrate Relationship Predictor and the AP3 Interactome. These distinctive capabilities enable the company to go beyond the limitations of traditional drug discovery, as well as current AI-based target-centric drug discovery and rapidly design highly differentiated compounds with desirable pathway effects through intracellular protein network analyses and advance these agents into the clinic for streamlined development.
Acrivon is currently advancing its lead program, ACR-368 (also known as prexasertib), a selective small molecule inhibitor targeting CHK1 and CHK2 in a potentially registrational Phase 2 trial for endometrial cancer. The company has received Fast Track designation from the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the investigation of ACR-368 as a monotherapy based on OncoSignature-predicted sensitivity in patients with endometrial cancer. The FDA has granted a Breakthrough Device designation for the ACR-368 OncoSignature assay for the identification of patients with endometrial cancer who may benefit from ACR-368 treatment.
In addition to ACR-368, Acrivon is also leveraging its proprietary Generative Phosphoproteomics AP3 platform for developing its co-crystallography-driven, internally discovered pipeline programs. These include ACR-2316, the company’s second clinical stage asset, and additional internally discovered oncology development candidates.
Our global team operates out of two leading life science clusters, Watertown, MA and Medicon Village in Lund, Sweden.
Position Overview
Acrivon Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated Research Associate to join the Drug Discovery team. This laboratory-based role will support activities across our discovery programs through management of cell and compound inventories, execution of robust cell-based assays, and generation of high-quality experimental data. Working closely with the Biology and Biomarker teams, this individual will contribute to compound profiling, mechanism-of-action studies, and biomarker discovery efforts across oncology and auto-immune/inflammatory programs. This role is ideal for an early-career scientist with strong technical rigor, excellent organizational skills, and a passion for translational drug discovery.
This position offers the opportunity to work closely with experienced scientists in a highly collaborative discovery environment with exposure to translational research, biomarker development, and drug discovery activities. The successful candidate will be encouraged to grow scientifically through mentorship, cross-functional collaboration, and increasing technical ownership within the team.
This position is based in Watertown, MA.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Perform routine mammalian cell culture activities including maintenance, expansion, cryopreservation, and quality control of cell lines, organoids, and primary cells.
- Manage and maintain cell banks and compound inventories, including large-scale cell expansion, vial tracking, and inventory organization.
- Execute and troubleshoot routine plate-based assays including AlphaLISA, NanoBRET, ELISA, CellTiter-Glo, and cell death assays.
- Support assay workflows utilizing automated/semi-automated laboratory instrumentation including liquid handling and plate-based detection systems.
- Generate reproducible, high-quality experimental data and perform routine data analysis using Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism.
- Maintain accurate and organized experimental records using electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) in accordance with internal SOPs and data quality standards.
- Contribute to assay optimization and workflow improvements under guidance from senior scientific staff.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Biology and Biomarker teams to support sample processing, experimental execution, and study timelines.
- Assist with laboratory organization, reagent preparation, inventory management, and general operational support.
- B.S. or M.S. degree in Biology, Immunology, Cell Biology, or a related scientific discipline with relevant experience required; industry experience is a plus
- Extensive hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture techniques, including maintenance and expansion of adherent and suspension cell lines; experience with primary cells and/or organoid culture is preferred.
- Experience performing plate-based biochemical or cell-based assays
- Familiarity with automated/semi-automated liquid handling systems, live-cell imaging platforms (e.g., Incucyte/CellCyte), and multimode plate readers is preferred.
- Experience analyzing and interpreting experimental data using Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism.
- Ability to follow established workflows while contributing to troubleshooting and continuous process improvement.
- Excellent organizational skills with demonstrated scientific rigor, meticulous attention to detail, and commitment to high-quality experimental documentation
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team environment.