Advisor – RNA Preclinical Pharmacology, Ocular

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. 

Our Genetic Medicine team in Boston shares a passion for challenging conventional wisdom and creating an environment that embraces creative, break-through concepts. We offer a start-up environment with large company support. Our team is in the heart of Massachusetts’ exploding science and technology cluster and is within walking distance of some of the best academic and industry innovators in the world.

The successful candidate for this position will establish and lead a new ocular and sensory in vivo pharmacology capability within the RNA In Vivo Pharmacology group. They will bring a strong research track record in ocular pharmacology, with an emphasis on the retina, and demonstrated experience advancing genetic medicines in the eye. As the group’s subject matter expert in ocular and sensory biology, they will define the in vivo strategy for this therapeutic area, build the models, endpoints, and workflows required to support it, and collaborate within a multidisciplinary team spanning oligonucleotide chemistry, delivery, translational biology, toxicology, and clinical development to advance next-generation RNA-based therapeutics for retinal and other sensory diseases.

Key responsibilities:

• Establish the ocular/sensory in vivo pharmacology capability from the ground up, including species and model selection, animal use protocols, SOPs, imaging and functional-testing infrastructure, and training team members
• Represent ocular RNA therapeutics on cross functional project teams to drive programs from target validation through candidate selection and IND-enabling studies
• Design, plan, and implement in vivo ocular pharmacology studies in rodents, and design and oversee large-animal studies with external partners, to define PK/PD, ocular biodistribution, duration of action, and tolerability of siRNA and ASO molecules
• Perform and optimize ocular dosing routes, including intravitreal and topical/periocular administration, and partner with chemistry and delivery teams to inform route, formulation, and dose selection
• Lead ocular sample collection and dissection, including aqueous and vitreous humor sampling and isolation of retina, RPE/choroid, optic nerve, and other ocular tissues for molecular, bioanalytical, and histological endpoints
• Implement and interpret in-life ocular endpoints, including ophthalmic examination, intraocular pressure, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus imaging, and electroretinography (ERG)
• Expertise in ocular tissue processing for target engagement and distribution endpoints (e.g., RT-qPCR, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, oligonucleotide quantification, novel assay development), with an emphasis on retinal layer- and cell type-resolved readouts
• Establish and validate disease-relevant retinal models (e.g., inherited or induced retinal degeneration, neovascular, inflammatory, and optic neuropathy models) to demonstrate pharmacodynamic and functional efficacy
• Shape translational strategy for ocular programs, including cross-species dose scaling, PK/PD inputs, and biomarker approaches, in conjunction with DMPK, toxicology, and clinical teams
• Identify, evaluate, and manage CROs and academic collaborators with specialized ocular and sensory capabilities
• Assist in troubleshooting technical challenges for team members
• Adherence to rigorous scientific standards, data QC, and data analysis methods
• Provide written and verbal communication of work in lab reports and team meetings
• Accurate recording of all practical work: completion of electronic notebook to Lilly procedure quality standards
• General laboratory assistance, including ordering and receiving lab supplies, preparation of reagents, and maintain laboratory equipment
• Ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations
• Passionate about contributing to a diverse and inclusive environment, every day

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD in pharmacology, ophthalmology, neuroscience, biology, biochemistry, or related field
• 1+ years of post-doctoral training or industry experience
• Hands-on experience conducting in vivo ocular pharmacology studies, including ocular dosing and retinal tissue collection

Additional Skills/Preferences

• Direct experience advancing genetic medicines in a drug development or applied therapeutics setting, ideally siRNA or ASO programs targeting the retina; experience with gene editing, AAV gene therapy, or other genetic medicine modalities is also valued
• Proficiency with intravitreal injection in rodents along with broader in vivo pharmacology competencies. This includes common systemic dosing routes and blood/tissue collection techniques, to contribute across the group’s portfolio
• Hands-on experience acquiring and analyzing retinal structural and functional data (e.g., SD-OCT, fundus photography and autofluorescence, fluorescein angiography, ERG, optomotor or other visual behavior assays)
• Understanding of retinal cell biology and ocular barriers (e.g., inner limiting membrane, blood-retinal barrier, RPE) and how they shape oligonucleotide distribution and cell type-specific uptake
• Familiarity with ocular tolerability and safety assessment, including intraocular inflammation grading, and class considerations for intravitreally administered oligonucleotides
• Experience designing and overseeing ocular studies in non-human primates or other large-eyed species at CROs
• Experience with additional sensory systems (e.g., inner ear)
• Knowledge of drug delivery, ocular pharmacokinetics, basic pharmacology concepts, and awareness of the ocular genetic medicine clinical landscape
• Execution-focused, independent, and team-oriented, with the initiative to build a new capability and thrive in a fast-paced and innovative environment
• Ability to adapt to changing platform needs, workflows and projects
• Experience in processing, organizing, analyzing and visualizing data and information from disparate sources and ability to extract insight from data
• Embrace diversity of thought, background, and experience to deliver innovative solutions 

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

$141,000 - $231,000

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

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