Voyant Bio
Rewiring immune cell interactions to
overcome resistance to immunotherapy
Unleashing the power of immune cell interactions
Cancer immunotherapies & autoimmune modulation strategies fail in the clinic due to breakdowns in complex immune-immune cell interactions.We are building the most detailed spatial maps of immune-immune cell interactions that compromise durable T cell responses in clinical settings.
We are developing a portfolio of targets to restore essential interactions and drive responses in 30%+ of non-responders - a $100B+ market.We can boost biotech’s clinical trial success in oncology & autoimmunity by uncovering drivers of resistance, enabling smarter combination therapies & refined patient selection.
Voyant Bio Selected for Merck Digital Sciences Studio
Voyant Bio is proud to announce its acceptance into the latest cohort of the Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDS Studio), a digital accelerator designed to enable the next generation of technologies for drug discovery and development, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. MDS Studio was founded to offer support for early-stage biomedical startups providing strategic guidance, direct investment, and connection opportunities within Merck.
About Merck Digital Sciences Studio
The Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDS Studio or MDSS), a collaboration between Merck, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Northpond Ventures, McKesson Ventures, Microsoft for Startups, and the New Jersey Innovation Institute, a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) subsidiary. The 10-month startup accelerator program, with direct investments from Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Northpond Ventures, and McKesson Ventures, empowers members and enables the generation of innovative digital technologies for drug discovery and development through hands-on mentorship, connection opportunities with industry-leading partners, and training in an active entrepreneurial setting. Through the accelerator program, these startups will have access to workshops, coaching, office space, and Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub resources, including up to $150,000 Azure Cloud computing credits.
Leadership
Assaf Magen, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO
Expert in immuno-oncology, computational biology, and AI/ML, with a track record of pioneering innovations in cancer research and precision medicine. As a former assistant professor at Mount Sinai, he led high-impact collaborations with Regeneron, integrating clinical, experimental, and computational teams. His groundbreaking discoveries, published in Nature Medicine, have identified critical drivers of anti-tumor immunity, unlocking new strategies for rational immunotherapy design with curative potential.
Garry Nolan, PhD
Scientific co-founder
Renowned immunologist, academic, inventor, and business executive, is a Professor of Pathology at Stanford University. A biotech founder and research pioneer, he conducts high-resolution single-cell analysis to study immune disorders, autoimmunity, and cancer, integrating advanced computational methods to link biological insights with clinical outcomes.
Gavin Thurston, PhD
Discovery & Translation advisory
Former SVP of Oncology Research at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals with over 20 years of experience advancing drugs from discovery to the clinic.
Ugur Eskiocak, PhD
Therapeutic development advisory
Cancer biologist with expertise in immuno-oncology, molecular biology, genome editing, high-throughput and in vivo screening, preclinical, and clinical testing. Proven leader with strong communication and team-building skills. Committed to advancing cancer research into novel therapies.
Sandip Patel, MD
Medical/Clinical advisory
Professor of Medical Oncology and Deputy Director of the San Diego Center for Precision Immunotherapy, leading thoracic immunotherapy trials with a research focus on predictive biomarkers for immunotherapeutic response and generation of personalized cancer immunotherapy regimens.
Martin Brenner, DVM, PhD
Antibody discovery advisory
Drug hunter with 10+ years in pharma, advancing drug candidates from discovery to late-stage development. Expertise in small and large molecules, with a deep focus on cardio-metabolic diseases, particularly Type 2 Diabetes, in vivo pharmacology, and islet biology.
Sangeetha Ramsagar
BD & Pharma | Commercialization
20+ years in global commercial strategy, brand management, and portfolio optimization in oncology, rare diseases, and neurology. Proven leader in team building, partnerships, and lifecycle management. Skilled in cross-functional collaboration to drive product success.
Founding computational biologist role
About Us: Voyant Bio has developed a spatial biology platform to unleash immunity against multiple cancers by rewiring immune cell interactions. Our first-in-class therapeutics have the potential to radically improve treatment efficacy for the 80% of patients who fail to respond to cancer immunotherapies. We are a backed by Merck Digital Sciences Studio.Who We Are: Our team is led by Assaf Magen, PhD, CEO, an expert in immuno-oncology and computational biology, inventor of the technology, and lead author of a seminal publication. He trained at the National Cancer Institute (NCI, NIH) and was an assistant professor at Mount Sinai. Together with a world-class biopharma advisory team, we are uniquely positioned to make breakthroughs in immuno-oncology.The Role: We are looking for a founding Machine Learning/Computational Biology scientist to lead our technical efforts, focusing on multi-modal single-cell geomics, spatial data analysis, and method development. You’ll be instrumental in shaping the bioinformatics roadmap and building scalable platforms and generative models for diverse biological datasets.
This role requires hands-on experience in Python for microscopy data analysis and single-cell genomics, as well as expertise in large-scale data management in cloud environments. A strong foundation in AI-driven approaches to biological data interpretation and modeling is essential. Ideally, you have recruited, managed, and led a computational biology or machine learning team. Exposure to immunology or immuno-oncology is a plus.This is a founding scientist position with incredible room for growth in responsibilities and benefits as we grow.Please use the form below. No recruiters, please. We are unable to sponsor visas at this time.
Voyant Bio
Rewiring immune cell interactions to overcome resistance to immunotherapy
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