Senior​/Principal Scientist, Oligonucleotide Discovery; siRNA​/ASO

Senior/Principal Scientist, Oligonucleotide Discovery (siRNA/ASO)

This range is provided by Gondola Bio. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$/yr - $/yr

About Gondola Bio

Gondola Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing breakthrough therapeutics for genetic diseases. Gondola Bio is an independent sister company to Bridge Bio, originally carved out in 2024 after securing $300M in private financing from external investors. Gondola Bio aims to leverage cutting-edge biological research to discover, create, test, and deliver transformative medicines to treat patients who suffer from genetic diseases.

Who You Are

You are a seasoned industry scientist in oligonucleotide therapeutics, with deep hands-on experience in siRNA and/or antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) discovery and early development. You have direct experience supporting one or more IND submissions, contributing preclinical, DMPK, and/or safety packages that enabled program advancement into the clinic. You bring strong scientific judgment and thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced biotech environment.

You operate as a technical leader and subject-matter expert, capable of critically evaluating oligo design strategies, assay approaches, and complex preclinical datasets. You work effectively with cross-functional partners and are able to influence program direction through rigorous, data-driven scientific insight, particularly in the context of IND-enabling decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Preclinical Safety & Off-Target Risk Analysis
- Lead the integration and interpretation of preclinical safety and pharmacology data, with a strong focus on off-target effects to inform program decisions.
- Partner closely with toxicology and biology teams to distinguish target-related versus off-target findings, assess dose-limiting toxicities, and evaluate overall therapeutic index and risk profile.
- Identify data gaps, recommend mechanistic or follow-up studies, and support risk mitigation strategies based on preclinical safety findings.

• CRO & External Partner Oversight
- Provide scientific oversight of CRO-executed studies, including preclinical safety, in vivo pharmacology, and supporting studies relevant to oligonucleotide programs.
- Review and provide input on study designs, protocols, data packages, and final reports to ensure scientific rigor, relevance, and alignment with program objectives.
- Serve as a primary scientific point of contact with external partners to ensure clear communication, high-quality execution, and timely delivery.
- Contribute to scientific evaluation of oligonucleotide DMPK data, including pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, tissue uptake, and durability of effect.
- Collaborate closely with DMPK teams to assess exposure–response and PK/PD relationships, and to contextualize safety findings relative to systemic and tissue-level exposure.
- Integrate DMPK insights into cohesive preclinical and translational narratives that support candidate selection and development planning.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Decision Support
- Collaborate closely with chemistry, DMPK, toxicology, translational, and clinical teams to support data-driven program decisions.
- Clearly summarize and communicate complex preclinical datasets in team meetings and governance forums.

• Oligonucleotide Program Support & Scientific Oversight
- Serve as a senior scientific contributor to siRNA and/or ASO programs, providing expert understanding of oligonucleotide design strategies, chemistry, and biology without direct hands-on design or assay development responsibilities.
- Critically review and contextualize oligo design, modification strategies, and conjugation approaches proposed by internal teams and external partners.

Preferred Education & Experience

• Ph.D. in molecular biology, pharmacology, chemistry, or a related field, or equivalent advanced degree.

• 8+ years of industry experience in oligonucleotide drug discovery and/or development (siRNA and/or ASO strongly preferred).

• Demonstrated hands-on experience in oligo design, assay development, and in…