Senior Scientist, Oligonucleotide Therapeutics

About the role

At the heart of insitro's strategy is to generate multi-modal phenotypic cellular data in our automated laboratories for our cell machine learning platform and utilize high content human clinical, imaging and genetic data in our clinical machine learning platform to unlock and de-risk novel therapeutic targets for drug discovery. Our drug discovery efforts span from small molecules to oligonucleotides. We are seeking a highly motivated scientist to support our growing efforts in the oligonucleotide drug discovery space. This role will report to the head of our oligonucleotide drug discovery. In this role the candidate will get an opportunity to work across targets and therapeutic areas and will be supporting oligonucleotide drug discovery and tech dev encompassing several modalities such as siRNAs, ASOs and mRNA. The ideal candidate will be working in a highly collaborative environment with our therapeutic area scientists, AI/ML scientists, and chemists, to bring transformative medicines to patients faster. You will be joining a vibrant biotech startup that has long-term stability, with significant funding, and in a high-growth phase, and you will have many opportunities to make a significant impact. You will work closely with a very talented team, learn a broad range of skills, and help shape insitro's culture, strategic direction, and outcomes. Join us, and help make a difference to patients! This is an onsite role based in insitro's South San Francisco headquarters, coming onsite 3-4 days a week.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize siRNA, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and related oligonucleotide modalities to support target validation and therapeutic drug discovery programs
• Collaborate cross-functionally with therapeutic area teams to develop and execute in vitro and in vivo experimental strategies for oligonucleotide-based drug discovery
• Conduct molecular and cellular biology experiments to advance oligonucleotide discovery initiatives and platform technology development
• Apply medicinal chemistry principles and nucleotide chemical modifications to drive structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies and lead optimization
• Partner with AI/ML scientists to develop and refine computational tools for in silico oligonucleotide design and predictive therapeutic modeling
• Integrate target biology, RNA biology, and mechanistic insights to propose innovative oligonucleotide-based therapeutic strategies
• Analyze experimental datasets, generate publication-quality figures and tables, and communicate findings effectively to multidisciplinary scientific audiences
• Maintain awareness of emerging scientific advances in oligonucleotide therapeutics, nucleic acid chemistry, and RNA-targeted drug discovery
• About You
• PhD in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific discipline, with 2-4 years of relevant experience in nucleic acid therapeutics or oligonucleotide drug discovery preferred
• Strong understanding of siRNA and ASO design principles, mechanisms of action, RNA structure-function relationships, and oligonucleotide chemical modifications
• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, transfection methodologies, TaqMan assays, gene knockdown analysis, Ago2 loading assays, RNA sequencing, and pharmacokinetic (PK) assessment of oligonucleotides is highly desirable
• Knowledge of oligonucleotide delivery technologies and formulation strategies is advantageous
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams and therapeutic areas.
• Strong analytical skills, scientific rigor, and exceptional attention to detail
• Compensation & Benefits at insitro
• This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.
• In addition, insitro also provides our employees:
• 401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
• Open, flexible vacation policy
• Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
• Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
• Support to attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and role's responsibilities
• New hire stipend for home office setup
• Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
• Access to free onsite baristas and daily lu

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