Responsibilities

We are seeking a highly capable and proactive Scientist / Senior Scientist, tLNP Formulation and Delivery to join our Boston, MA team. This role reports to the Head of Gene Editing and Early Discovery and owns the end-to-end design, formulation, bioconjugation, and physicochemical characterization of novel targeted lipid nanoparticles (tLNPs). You will partner closely with our cell biology team to validate targeting and cellular uptake of AI-designed genetic medicines, while serving as the primary technical interface for in vivo studies — central to our strategy of achieving extrahepatic tissue tropism for next-generation gene and cell therapies. This is a lab-based role requiring on-site presence at our Boston, MA facility every working day.
LNP technology development: Develop targeted LNP technology to enable extrahepatic tissue tropism for next-generation genetic medicines.
tLNP formulation design: Design and execute tLNP formulations encapsulating nucleic acid payloads (e.g., mRNA, DNA, sgRNA, etc.), systematically altering lipid ratios, ionizable lipid structures, and helper components to drive extrahepatic tissue tropism.
Lipid synthesis: be able to direct third party CRO’s to synthesize lipids of interest.
Bioconjugation: Perform hands-on surface modifications and bioconjugation chemistries to attach targeting moieties (antibodies, VHHs/nanobodies, peptides) to LNP surfaces.
LNP analytics: Perform routine and advanced LNP analytics, including particle size/polydispersity (e.g., dynamic light scattering), zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency (e.g., RiboGreen assays), and other relevant conjugation/purity metrics for labeled ligands.
Physicochemical characterization: Perform physicochemical characterization of LNP formulations to support formulation optimization and quality assessment.
In vitro assay development: Partner with our cell biology team to develop, optimize, and execute in vitro assays (using flow cytometry/FACS, plate readers, and fluorescence/luminescence imaging) to evaluate target binding, receptor-mediated cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and functional cargo translation of candidate tLNPs.
In vivo study design: Partner with the innovation team to design robust in vivo biodistribution and pharmacokinetic (PK) studies to evaluate tLNP performance.
Documentation: Maintain detailed Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) records, author technical reports, generate patent disclosure data, and present findings to cross-functional scientific leadership.
Cross-functional collaboration: Collaborate across the cell biology, innovation, and computational/AI teams to relay formulation and in vitro/in vivo results that inform iterative design of AI-generated targeting ligands and payloads.

Qualification

ExperienceLNP assembly & bioconjugationTropism engineeringLNP analytical techniquesHands-on LNP experienceAdvantageous Skills and ExperienceHigh-Throughput ScreeningDoE SoftwareAI-Guided FormulationPeptide-Based Targeting LigandsLNP Scale-UpOwnership & Drive

Required

Experience: A PhD in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related field, with 1–2 years of relevant experience (Scientist) or 3+ years (Senior Scientist); an MSc with equivalent hands-on laboratory experience will also be considered. You have hands-on drug delivery foundations and thrive in an entrepreneurial, fast-moving environment.
LNP assembly & bioconjugation: Hands-on experience with LNP assembly platforms (microfluidic/NanoAssemblr, T mixing, or ethanol injection) and surface bioconjugation techniques to functionalize nanoparticles with targeting moieties.
Tropism engineering: Demonstrated understanding and experience in shifting nanoparticle biodistribution/tropism through lipid compositional tweaking, molar ratio modification, or structural lipid alteration.
LNP analytical techniques: Experience with LNP analytical techniques such as DLS, encapsulation assays, etc.
Hands-on LNP experience: Hands-on experience with targeted LNPs or LNPs and conjugation of biomaterials.
Advantageous Skills and Experience
High-Throughput Screening: Experience with automated or high-throughput liquid-handling platforms for formulation screening.
DoE Software: Practical knowledge of Design of Experiments (DoE) software (e.g., JMP) for systematic LNP optimization.
AI-Guided Formulation: Interest or prior experience collaborating with computational/ML teams on AI-guided formulation or targeting-ligand design.
Peptide-Based Targeting Ligands: Familiarity with peptide-based targeting ligands or peptide bioconjugation chemistries, given Basecamp's AI-generated peptide design capabilities.
LNP Scale-Up: Experience with scaling up LNPs is a definite plus.
Ownership & Drive: High degree of ownership over your work. You care about outcomes and reliably follow through on tasks and take pride in delivering quality results.

Scientist / Senior Scientist, tLNP Formulation and Delivery at Basecamp Research · LumiJobs

Scientist / Senior Scientist, tLNP Formulation and Delivery

Responsibilities

Qualification

Required

Benefits

Company

Basecamp Research

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