in partnership with

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Team Leader in Drug Discovery Biology for Paediatric Brain
Tumours

POST NUMBER: 455

DIVISION & UNIT: Division of Cancer Therapeutics
Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit

GRADE: Career Development Faculty (equivalent to tenure track)

RESPONSIBLE TO: Head of Division – Professor Raj Chopra

BACKGROUND

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, is one of the world’s most influential
cancer research organisations, with an outstanding record of achievement dating back
more than 100 years. We provided the first convincing evidence that DNA damage is the
basic cause of cancer, laying the foundation for the now universally accepted idea that
cancer is a genetic disease. Today, we are world leaders in discovering new targeted
cancer drugs, identifying new cancer genes and developing new forms of precision
radiotherapy.

The ICR is committed to attracting and developing the best minds in the world to join us in
our mission – to make the discoveries that defeat cancer.

In February 2018, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) launched the CRUK Children’s Brain
Tumour Centre of Excellence (CRUK-CBTCE) to create a hub of expertise and drive
progress in paediatric brain cancers. Led by Professor Richard Gilbertson at the University
of Cambridge and Professor Paul Workman at The ICR, the centre will unite teams across
the research pipeline at the two locations. It will have a particular focus on drug discovery
for paediatric tumours, drawing on the strengths of the CRUK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at
the ICR.

The vision of the CRUK-CBTCE is to transform the way the world develops treatments for
children with brain tumours. Its mission is to forge an innovative four-stage pipeline that
generates curative treatments for children with brain tumours, wherever they live. Hosted
at the CRUK Cambridge Major Centre and the ICR the CRUK-CBTCE will convene a
critical mass of expert personnel, infrastructure and global collaborations in paediatric
brain tumour biology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and preclinical and clinical
trials. Our goal is to develop full clinical trial designs of three new or repurposed drugs by
the end of the first cycle of funding. See Appendix 1 for further details.

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The CRUK Cancer Therapeutics Unit (CTU) within the Division of Cancer Therapeutics at
the ICR is a multidisciplinary 'bench to bedside' centre, comprising around 150 staff
dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of
cancer. We are ranked among the best academic cancer drug discovery groups in the
world and, since 2005, have progressed 10 drugs discovered by CTU scientists, either
alone or in collaboration with our commercial partners, into patient studies, 9 in our
ICR/Royal Marsden Drug Development Unit. Our drug abiraterone has been approved in
the US, Canada and Europe for late stage prostate cancer.

Our mission is to discover and develop novel and effective therapeutics for the treatment
of cancer patients. We exploit the addictions, dependencies and vulnerabilities of cancer
cells in order to discover innovative small molecule drugs and companion biomarkers that
will constitute the cancer medicines of the future.

Our overall objective is to discover innovative pre-clinical candidates for subsequent

hypothesis testing in Phase I clinical trials and to publish our science in relevant leading
journals. All necessary science disciplines and technologies are in place to make this
possible. Our biologists work closely with chemists, structural biologists, clinical, drug
metabolism and computational scientists focusing on new molecular targets emerging
from human genome and cell biology research. Our drug discovery is carried out in highly
focused multi-disciplinary project teams with patient benefit as the primary driver. We
operate a portfolio model and apply our chemistry resources to our most promising drug
discovery projects. We have a large network of collaborations with academia,
biotechnology companies, and the pharmaceutical industry.

In 2016, our work was highly rated by international peer review; in 2017, the ICR was
awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in recognition of our contribution to cancer drug
discovery. A further affirmation of our standing is a recent HEFCE award of £30M towards
the cost of building a state of the art centre for Cancer Drug Discovery that will co-locate
the CTU with the Centre for Evolution and Cancer (CEC) in 2020.

ROLE SUMMARY

The primary role of this position is to lead a research team in drug discovery for paediatric
brain tumours that contributes to the overall strategy and goals of the CTU. This is an
unique opportunity to establish one of the first academic drug discovery groups focused
on paediatric brain cancers as part of an exciting collaboration with Professor Richard
Gilbertson’s research group in Cambridge and the other groups in the CRUK-CBTCE.
This research group will focus on target identification and drug discovery in order to
transform the way in which treatments are discovered for children with brain tumours. This
team will focus on identifying and validating novel therapeutic targets in paediatric brain
cancers, and leading the biology of drug discovery projects against well validated targets
including projects that aim to repurpose existing drugs. While the appointee is
establishing their own research programme they will have the opportunity to be part of the

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team assessing the hits from a phenotypic screen carried out by Professor Gilbertson and
his team.

We seek an outstanding emerging pharmacologist/biologist with training and experience in

drug discovery. This post will play a leading role in the recently established Cancer
Research UK Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence, based at the University of
Cambridge and The ICR. The centre brings together world-leading experts to discover and
develop new treatments to tackle brain tumours in children. A background and
understanding in brain cancer is desirable but not essential. A strong commitment to
engage with the world leading experts who will be involved in the Brain Tumour Center of
Excellence, that will lead to better understanding of the complexities of paediatric brain
tumour biology is essential. A willingness to enthusiastically apply new approaches,
technologies and innovations in brain cancer research that lead to innovative drug
discovery projects is welcomed. The post holder will be expected to make a substantial
independent intellectual contribution to drug discovery projects as well as to pro-actively
lead and contribute to broad initiatives that enhance the overall effectiveness of CTU.

Our drug discovery, carried out in an academic environment, requires a demonstrable

drive and ability to publish high quality research consistent with the requirements of the
Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. Our academic environment actively
supports the winning of additional research funding to pursue personal scientific interests
aligned to the overall mission of CTU. Thus, the ability and drive to successfully secure
research funding, in the commercial or academic sector, is important. Presentation at
national and international conferences is expected in the role. Enthusiasm for and
sponsorship of team-based science in a collaborative interdisciplinary environment is
essential.

The appointment will be made at tenure-track equivalent (Career Development Faculty),

this will be on a six-year Fixed Term Contract with an assessment for a non-time limited
appointment before the end of the fixed term contract. We offer a competitive salary, with
benefits, subject to skills and experience. Appropriate support (including staff,
consumables and equipment) for the successful applicant’s laboratory will be provided.

This is a full-time post based on 35 hours per week net, Monday to Friday.

The annual leave entitlement is 30 days p.a. In addition there is an entitlement to 8

public/bank holidays and 3 ICR-set Privilege days per annum.

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DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Scientific
x Lead research in drug discovery for paediatric brain tumours and to build and lead an
independent team to achieve this.
x Develop, employ and implement (i) a thorough knowledge of an area of expertise
relevant to paediatric brain tumours and (ii) an awareness of the latest technology
pertinent to the field.
x Lead the identification and validation of targets relevant to paediatric brain cancers and
identify, prioritise and optimise inhibitors of these targets.
x Maintain and implement a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of drug discovery
methods and technologies.
x Provide a substantial contribution to the CRUK Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of
Excellence, based at the University of Cambridge and The ICR and work closely with
colleagues and collaborators at the ICR, University of Cambridge and elsewhere to
achieve this.
x Motivate, supervise, train and mentor members of the team, including postdoctoral
scientists, scientific officers and PhD students in support of their professional
development as independent scientific researchers.
x Prepare results for presentation and publication in learned journals and at national and
international conferences, with suitable protection of the ICR’s intellectual property.
Contribute to patent filings and Due Diligence documents.
x Network with ICR colleagues and external collaborators to translate basic research
findings into new drug discovery projects.
x Seek additional funding for appropriate research areas through writing proposals for
project grants, PhD studentships, or through engagement of external commercial
partners.
Organisational
x Interact and collaborate with the ICR’s Enterprise Unit, Cancer Research Technology
and commercial partners in relation to any potentially exploitable discoveries.
x Ensure compliance with ICR and national regulations on safety and ethics with
enthusiastic sponsorship of excellence in safety practices in CTU laboratories.
x Be responsible to the Head of Division with respect to (i) ICR corporate responsibility
to the public (ii) ICR safety policy, rules and regulations (iii) returns required by
external organisations (iv) disciplinary matters.
x Manage budgets for the research team.
x Undertake other such academic, administrative, and managerial duties that are
reasonably expected of a Team Leader within the Division of Cancer Therapeutics.

This job description is a reflection of the present position and is subject to review
and alteration in detail and emphasis in the light of future changes or development.
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 in partnership with

APPOINTMENT PROCESS

We welcome informal enquiries, which should be addressed to Professor Raj Chopra

(email: raj.chopra@icr.ac.uk). This email address is for enquiries only, all applications
must be submitted online.

To apply via our website go to: http://www.icr.ac.uk/jobsearch, Job reference number 455.
Applications must include:
x Research plan (five to six pages outlining your current research interests and
research programme for the next 5 years)
x Full CV
x Lists of major publications, achievements, major research grants, distinctions.
x Publication list
x Covering letter including the names and contact details of three academic referees

Closing date: 3rd September 2018

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PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential or
Criteria
Desirable?
Education & Knowledge
PhD in a relevant biomedical subject such as molecular biology, E
biochemistry, biology, pharmacology or equivalent

Excellent knowledge of cancer and its biology E

Excellent knowledge of translational aspects of cancer biology E

Knowledge of paediatric brain tumour biology D

Experience
Postdoctoral experience in cancer biology, which may have been E
obtained in academia, or in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry

Experience of oncology drug discovery in collaboration with or within the D

pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry

Excellent track record of research, as demonstrated by high quality E

research publications and other relevant outputs

Evidence of intellectual leadership E

Experience of writing research proposals to successfully secure D

research funding

Previous experience of directing students and/or junior staff D

Skills
Ability to plan, co-ordinate and execute novel research and routine E
studies to a high standard with potential for international excellence

Ability to assimilate relevant information and initiate new areas of E

research

Evidence for the ability to draft high quality scientific documents; for E
example, publications or grant applications

Demonstrably excellent clarity of oral and written communication and E

good interpersonal skills

Demonstrable ability to build and support a team E

Ability to work within a collaborative multi-disciplinary institute and with D

colleagues at different locations

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Evidence of research leadership D

General
Enthusiasm to work in an interdisciplinary team science environment E
towards the goal of developing a better understanding of the causes and
treatment of paediatric brain cancer and to apply such understanding to
discover innovative new drugs.

Highly motivated with a strong desire for excellence E

Willingness to supervise postgraduate students for higher degrees E

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Appendix 1

Cancer Research UK Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence

Background: Brain tumours remain the commonest cause of cancer-related death in

children. Limited progress in these diseases relates directly to the use of inaccurate
preclinical pipelines that fail to identify drugs with activity in patients. Accurate preclinical
pipelines are especially important for rare cancers, such as paediatric brain tumours, that
have small patient populations available for study. Thus, curing all children with brain
tumours will require a new approach that leverages a deep understanding of tumour
biology to design disease-specific therapies.

Aims 7KH YLVLRQ RI WKH &DQFHU 5HVHDUFK 8. &KLOGUHQÆV Brain Tumour Centre of
Excellence (CRUK-CBTCE) is to transform the way the world develops treatments for
children with brain tumours. Its mission is to forge an innovative four-stage pipeline that
generates curative treatments for children with brain tumours,
wherever they live. Hosted at the CRUK Cambridge Major Centre and The Institute of
Cancer Research, London, the CRUK-CBTCE will convene a critical mass of expert
personnel, infrastructure and global collaborations in paediatric brain tumour biology,
medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and preclinical and clinical trials. Our goal is to
develop full clinical trial designs of three new or repurposed drugs by the end of the first
cycle of funding.

Methods: Our research strategy is centred on our biology and drug discovery
pipeline. Pipeline-Stage 1 will advance understanding of the basic biology of paediatric
brain tumours by developing and studying highly-accurate mouse models. Pipeline-Stage
2 will study these models and human tumours to identify and validate cell pathways critical
for maintaining the malignant phenotype that may serve as therapeutic targets. Pipeline-
Stage 3 will identify, prioritise and optimise inhibitors of lead targets validated in Stage 2.
And Pipeline-Stage 4 will test lead candidates emerging from the pipeline in our preclinical
mouse hospital in the context of ‘standard-of-care’ combination neurosurgery, fractionated
irradiation and conventional chemotherapy. The CRUK-CBTCE will also unite the CRUK-
CBTCE membership with an international community of aligned experts through the
ZRUOGÆV first ‘webinar-based’ International Children’s Brain Tumour Board and serve as the
Conference Secretariat for the ongoing Gordon Conference-style ‘Paediatric Brain Tumour
in the Mountains’ meetings. As part of its educational initiatives the CRUK-CBTCE will
establish a new series of Paediatric Brain Tumour Summer Schools and train PhD
students.

Output: Through this international, collaboration and education structure, the CRUK-
CBTCE will become the global leader in preclinical paediatric brain tumour innovation,
rapidly accelerating the development of new cures.