<p><img src="https://static4.businessinsider.com/image/60084617660f6c0018349ee6-1733/AP3350929828.jpg" border="0" alt="Calico CEO Art Levinson" data-mce-source="Jeff Chiu/Associated Press" data-mce-caption="Calico CEO Art Levinson"></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>Calico, the Alphabet-backed life sciences company devoted to solving ageing, is one of the company's most mysterious upstarts.</p><p>But the biotech arm is quietly chugging along and, in the past few months, has opened up a <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers">handful of new roles</a> across research, computing, and safety. </p><p>The company is hunting for a new head of oncology, who would oversee Calico's therapeutics programs and lead a lab, <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4432011002">according to the job description</a>. Cancer isn't a new area for Calicoit had a previous head of oncology, Jeffrey Settleman, until 2019but in October, <a href="https://endpts.com/super-secretive-anti-aging-biotech-calico-tees-up-the-first-visible-clinical-trial-of-an-experimental-drug-and-its-for-cancer/">Endpoints News spotted</a> that Calico had embarked on its first clinical trial with partner AbbVie on a cancer drug.</p><p>The foundation of Calico's efforts, however, is breaking down the biology of aging, <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/research-technology">per the company</a>. One project, for example, has been studying how yeast ages at the cellular level for years. The company came up with <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/story/understanding-how-yeast-age">a way of separating cells</a> that allowed it to better study the effects of aging at the molecular level.</p><p>Calico is also building out a "new team" focused on understanding "the cellular effects of chemical and genetic perturbations," <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=4977282002">a job description said</a>. The team will use things like imaging technology, other words, to see how cells change when altered genetically or chemically. </p><p>Calico is also hiring a handful of scientists to study the role of <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=4275054002">stress signaling</a>, <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=4945766002">metabolism</a>, and <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=4549152002">other areas</a> thought to be relevant to aging, as well as a handful of interns, according to the latest round of job openings. Business Insider spotted a total of 14 open jobs across the company's website and LinkedIn, and five intern positions.</p><h2>Here are the jobs Calico is looking to fill</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=4432011002" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="60" data-uri="edadf151cb369a3e361892184f7d9d7a">Head of oncology research</a>: You'll lead a lab and Calico's therapeutics program for cancer.</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=4432011002" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="60" data-uri="edadf151cb369a3e361892184f7d9d7a">Principal investigator, age-associated inflammation</a>: You'll lead aging research related to inflammation and the immune system.</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4322236002" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="60" data-uri="5f3030b9195651d1b5d4a36075218830">Scientist, cellular and organismal physiology</a>: You'll study stress signaling pathways in aging with rats. </li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=4962448002">Machine learning engineer</a>: You'll develop the tools to analyze biological imaging data sets.</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers'gh_jid=5000869002">Senior project manager, technology</a>: You'll work with scientists, engineers, and managers to plan upcoming and track ongoing projects.</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4833795002" target="_top" data-mapped="true">Senior Research Associate, Genomics</a>: You'll lead work on single cell and spatial transcriptomics methods.</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4549152002" target="_top" data-mapped="true">Senior Research Associate, Biochemistry</a>: You'll bring strong knowledge of cell biology, molecular biology and biochemistry techniques, and work with multiple labs across Calico.</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4300351002" target="_top" data-mapped="true">Scientist, Single Cell Genomics</a>: You'll act as a technical domain expert for single cell and spatial transcriptomics technology.</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/'currentJobId=2364190773&f_C=4831059&geoId=92000000">Data curation engineer</a>: You'll work to help store and provide access to biological datasets.</li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/'currentJobId=2002485324&f_C=4831059&geoId=92000000">Senior lab operations coordinator</a>: This is a contract position that encompasses personnel and lab management. </li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4945766002" target="_top" data-mapped="true">Scientist, In Vivo Metabolism</a>: You'll be part of a team for "identifying targets and pathways suitable for therapeutic intervention."</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4977282002" target="_top" data-mapped="true">Research Associate/Senior Research Associate, Cell Biology</a>: You'll be on a team focused on chemical biology, functional genomics and cell biology.</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4275054002" target="_top" data-mapped="true">Principal Research Associate/Senior Research Associate, Molecular and Cellular Biology</a>: You'll explore "signaling stress pathways in support of translational efforts."</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers/'gh_jid=4812098002" target="_top" data-mapped="true">Lab Automation Engineer III</a>: You'll be responsible for "assembling core laboratory automation infrastructure."</li><li><a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/careers">Intern roles</a>: Biochemisty, computational biology, machine learning & computer vision, microscopy, preclinical imaging and microscopy.</li></ul><h2><strong>Calico has been secretive since its founding</strong></h2><p>Bill Maris, the founder of Google Ventures, now GV, pitched the idea of a company devoted to combating aging-associated diseases to Google executives.</p><p>Maris and then-Google CEO Larry Page brought in former Genentech CEO and Apple chairman Arthur Levinson to run it, generating buzz out of the gate with a Time cover splash that asked, "Can Google solve death'"</p><p>But since its founding in 2013, Calico has kept a low profile, to the point that even many of its peers in the anti-aging research field see it as a mystery. It doesn't really talk about what it's doing or <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/4/27/15409672/google-calico-secretive-aging-mortality-research">collaborate with with many external partners</a>, leaving many experts to wonder if it's making meaningful progress on its bold mission.</p><p>Maris left Alphabet in 2016 to form his own investment fund, Section 32. He <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calico-life-sciences-founder-disappointed-with-progress-2020-5">told Business Insider last year</a> that he was disappointed with the progress Calico had made since then and criticized its secrecy.</p><p>"It's not how I envisioned it at all," he said.</p><p>Calico has said that it wants to understand the biological process of aging itself, like in the <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2016/12/15/69305/googles-long-strange-life-span-trip/">biochemical pathways</a> that respond to nutrientsmaking one incremental breakthrough at a time if necessary.</p><p>But other companies, like the Jeff Bezos-backed Unity Biotechnology, are more focused on <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/05/02/1495497/0/en/UNITY-Biotechnology-Inc-Announces-Pricing-of-Initial-Public-Offering-of-Common-Stock.html">making drugs now</a>, based on what we already know about aging. Unity has had no more success than Calico, <a href="https://endpts.com/in-blow-to-anti-aging-field-unity-biotechnology-fails-first-major-study-cuts-lead-program/">failing to post meaningful results</a> in a recent clinical trial.</p><p>David Botstein, Calico's chief scientific officer, told MIT Technology Review that a "best case" scenario is that Calico will have a <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2016/12/15/69305/googles-long-strange-life-span-trip/">major discovery to show the world</a> in a decade. That was five years ago.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calico-alphabet-age-fighting-bet-job-listings-head-oncology-2021-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story »</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/candy-corn-ingredients-made-of-gelatin-lac-resin-halloween-sugar-syrup-2017-10">What candy corn is actually made of</a></p>
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