Scientist - Oligonucleotide Biology

The Oligonucleotide Therapeutics group is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative Scientist to support the discovery, characterization, and optimization of oligonucleotide therapeutics across a range of disease areas. This role is intended for an experimental molecular and cellular biologist who combines a strong foundation in RNA biology with hands‑on experience in cell‑based assay development, mechanistic studies, and translational research. The successful candidate will help advance novel oligonucleotide therapeutics from early discovery toward pre‑clinical development by developing robust in vitro assays, generating high‑quality biological data, and contributing to the selection of next‑generation therapeutic candidates.

This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

• Design, execute, and optimize in vitro assays to evaluate oligonucleotide (ASO, siRNA, LNA) activity, including target engagement, mRNA knockdown, protein modulation, and splice‑switching in disease‑relevant cell models.
• Establish, optimize, and validate molecular biology workflows including RT‑qPCR, western blotting, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence microscopy, and other cell‑based assays to support therapeutic discovery.
• Develop and characterize cellular models to assess oligonucleotide uptake, intracellular trafficking, pharmacodynamic responses, and mechanism of action.
• Perform dose‑response and time‑course studies to evaluate oligonucleotide potency, durability, and pharmacological activity.
• Analyze experimental data, identify trends, troubleshoot technical challenges, and recommend next‑step experiments to advance lead optimization.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including chemistry, formulation, and bioinformatics, to evaluate oligonucleotide sequences, chemical modifications, and delivery strategies.
• Support implementation of laboratory automation and high‑throughput workflows to improve assay robustness, reproducibility, and efficiency.
• Maintain accurate experimental records and document procedures, results, and conclusions in accordance with internal standards and good laboratory practices.
• Present scientific findings at project team meetings and contribute to internal reports, scientific presentations, and publications.
• Maintain a safe, organized laboratory environment while adhering to company safety policies and laboratory best practices.

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, RNA Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or other Scientific discipline with 1+ years of experience with oligonucleotide therapeutics (ASOs, siRNA, miRNA, splice‑switching oligonucleotides, or similar RNA‑targeting technologies).
• OR
• Master’s degree in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, RNA Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or other Scientific discipline with 3+ years of experience with oligonucleotide therapeutics (ASOs, siRNA, miRNA, splice‑switching oligonucleotides, or similar RNA‑targeting technologies).

• Experience culturing and maintaining mammalian cell lines and developing robust cell‑based assays for therapeutic discovery.
• Strong experience developing and executing cell‑based assays to evaluate target engagement, gene expression, and pharmacodynamic endpoints.
• Proficiency in molecular and cellular biology techniques including RT‑qPCR, western blotting, ddPCR, ELISA/MSD immunoassays, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and mammalian cell culture.
• Experience designing, optimizing, and executing medium‑to‑high‑throughput cell‑based screening assays using multiple mammalian cell lines to evaluate oligonucleotide potency, target engagement, and pharmacodynamic responses.
• Familiarity with oligonucleotide chemical modifications, delivery technologies, and mechanism‑of‑action studies.
• Experience with laboratory automation, high‑throughput screening, or Design of Experiments (DoE).
• Knowledge of translational biomarkers, pharmacodynamic assays, and target engagement strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design experiments, analyze complex datasets, troubleshoot technical challenges, and…