Senior Research Associate, Platform RNA Sciences at Sail Biomedicines (Cambridge, MA)

Sail Biomedicines · Cambridge, MA·1d ago

Job description

About Sail

Sail Biomedicines is pioneering the integrative design and deployment of fully programmable medicines to transform patient care. Sail’s platform combines first-in-class programmable circular RNA technology (Endless RNA™ or eRNA), and an industry-leading platform of programmable nanoparticles, utilizing natural components, to unlock comprehensive programming of medicines for the first time. By leveraging cutting-edge eRNA and nanoparticle deployment technology, Sail is also making unparalleled use of AI techniques to identify and design fully programmable medicines that are potent, targeted, versatile, and tunable. Sail was founded by Flagship Pioneering.

The Role

The Senior Research Associate, Platform RNA Sciences, will work on key projects to advance Sail’s first-in-class programmable circular RNA technology (Endless RNA™ or eRNA). This role will help optimize eRNA purification processes, improve circularization, and upgrade our eRNA design. The successful candidate is organized, and attentive to details, a fast learner with a strong sense of responsibility who takes pride in his/her work. The team looks forward to helping you strive in this exciting and fast-paced environment to make a real-world impact on patients’ lives.

Responsibilities

Perform experiments to optimize eRNA purification
Determine circularization efficiency and impurity levels by running analytic assays
Conduct library and small scale eRNA production for platform learning projects
Monitor RNA immune reactivity and protein expression in cells
Design properly controlled experiments, generate high-quality data, and run rigorous statistical analysis
Maintain detailed documentation in electronic lab notebooks
Present findings clearly to platform teams and contribute to scientific discussions and decision-making

Qualifications

B.S. in Life Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field with 4+ years or M.S. with 2+ years of full-time industry or academic research experience
Experience using data analysis and information management tools, such as Excel, Graphic Prism, JMP, SnapGene, Benchling
Ability to manage multiple tasks at once while knowing how to prioritize
Strong collaborative spirit and communication skills
Excellent record keeping

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in RNA production and purification
Familiarity with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or other column-based purification/analytic methods
Experience in cell culture and assays to monitor protein expression (e.g., ELLA, ELISA, IncuCyte, flow cytometry)

Salary Range: $75,000 - $95,000

Sail Biomedicines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Sail does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Why work at Sail Biomedicines

Culture: "We work at the frontier of programmable medicines. We operate with purpose and urgency on behalf of people everywhere." The company emphasizes a culture of excellence, shared dedication, and groundbreaking science.
Remote/Hybrid Policy: Roles are listed in Cambridge, MA, suggesting an on-site or hybrid model at the headquarters (140 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02141).
Notable Perks (from careers page):
- Generous salary and employee stock option plan
- Competitive health, dental, and vision benefits
- Retirement savings program
- Paid parental, adoption, and caregiver leave
- Long- and short-term disability and life insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Free parking, monthly subway pass, or subsidized commuter rail pass
- Free lunch every week and a kitchen stocked with healthy snacks
Engineering/Science Culture: The company is building a "bioplatform" that integrates AI, data science, and high-throughput experimentation. This is an ideal environment for scientists and engineers who want to work at the intersection of computational biology, machine learning, and RNA therapeutics. The team includes leaders in AI and digital sciences, pharmacology, and nanoparticle delivery.

About Sail Biomedicines

Company Overview

One-liner: Sail Biomedicines is pioneering a fully programmable RNA medicines platform by combining proprietary circular RNA technology (eRNA) with targeted nanoparticles and generative AI to treat autoimmune, metabolic, infectious, and rare diseases.
Entity Type: Private (backed by Flagship Pioneering, formed in October 2023)
Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Founded: October 2023 (formed from the combination of first-in-category technologies within the Flagship Pioneering ecosystem, bringing together more than eight years of combined data)
Founders: The company was formed by Flagship Pioneering; key leadership includes John Mendlein, J.D., Ph.D. (Executive Chairman), Gene Marcantonio, M.D., Ph.D. (Chief Medical Officer), Amy Espeseth (SVP, Platform), and others.

Core Business

Primary industry: Biotechnology / RNA Therapeutics / Drug Discovery
Target customers: B2B / Biopharma partnerships; ultimate customers are patients with chronic and serious diseases (autoimmune, metabolic, infectious, rare)
Mission statement: "We work at the frontier of programmable medicines. We power our bioplatform and product candidates by harnessing evolution and AI. We operate with purpose and urgency on behalf of people everywhere. We aim to generate life-changing impact for the world."

Products & Services

Sail Platform (Endless RNA™ / eRNA™): A novel class of translatable, stable circular RNA. Unlike conventional linear mRNA, eRNA is protected from exonuclease degradation, leading to prolonged protein expression in vivo (days vs. 1-2 days for mRNA). This enables less frequent dosing and opens the door for treating chronic diseases requiring intracellular or transmembrane protein replacement.
Targeted Nanoparticles (TNPs): A modular, clinically validated lipid nanoparticle core conjugated with disease-specific targeting ligands. These TNPs enable precise, extra-hepatic delivery of eRNA cargo to specific cell types, minimizing off-target exposure. The same core can be rapidly adapted with different ligands.
Generative AI & Data Platform: Proprietary AI algorithms integrated with high-throughput prototyping to design both the RNA sequence and the nanoparticle delivery system in an integrated manner, aiming to program medicines to spec.

Market Standing

Valuation / Funding: Not publicly disclosed. As a Flagship Pioneering portfolio company, it benefits from substantial, long-term venture funding typical of Flagship’s "venture creation" model. The company was formed in 2023, so it is in an early-stage, pre-revenue R&D phase.
Key Metric: Total funding is not publicly available; the company is privately held and was formed through an internal combination of assets from Flagship’s ecosystem (including Laronde and Senda Biosciences).
Notable Investors/Partners: Flagship Pioneering is the founding and primary backer. The company's leadership includes experienced executives from the Flagship network.
Growth Signals: The company is actively hiring across multiple senior roles (Senior Director of Delivery, Director of Translational Biology, Associate Director of Clinical Supply Chain, Senior Scientist in Data Science), indicating a ramp-up from platform development toward preclinical and early clinical activities.

Competitive Advantages

Most Complete Toolkit: Sail claims to have the industry's only platform that integrates programmable pharmacology (eRNA) with programmable deployment (TNPs) and AI-driven design, all in one system.
Durable eRNA: The circular RNA technology offers significantly longer protein expression than linear mRNA, a major differentiator for chronic disease applications.
Modular Nanoparticle Platform: The TNP core is clinically validated and can be rapidly re-targeted by swapping ligands without reformulating the core, enabling faster path to IND for multiple indications.
AI-Powered Integration: The company generates proprietary functional data at high throughput to train AI models that design both the RNA and the nanoparticle in an integrated manner, a capability few competitors have.
Flagship Ecosystem Backing: Deep resources, long-term capital, and a history of building category-defining biotechs (Moderna, etc.) provide a strong foundation.

Strategic Focus

Current priorities: Advancing the eRNA-TNP platform toward the clinic; building out the AI/digital sciences team; expanding the pipeline in autoimmune, metabolic, infectious, and rare diseases; demonstrating in vivo proof-of-concept for extra-hepatic targeting with TNPs.
Direction for growth: Moving from platform R&D to IND-enabling studies and first-in-human trials; establishing partnerships with larger pharma for specific indications; scaling the manufacturing process for eRNA and TNPs.

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