help me prepare for this interview https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4448899924/

I would love to help you prep for this role! Before we dive into the science behind Addition's tech and map out our practice, I have one quick question to help me tailor this to your background.

To tailor our preparation: what is your current background in RNA biology or cell-based assays, and when is your interview scheduled?

this is my resume: PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Scientist III with 4+ years of biotechnology industry experience in RNA therapeutics, in vitro transcription (IVT), mammalian cell culture, transfection, and cell-based assay development. Experienced in producing and characterizing RNA molecules, performing RNA quality control, optimizing IVT workflows, and evaluating therapeutic performance using molecular and cellular assays. Skilled in flow cytometry, ELISA, qPCR, automated western blot, cytokine assays, and high-throughput RNA workflows. Experienced in assay development, process characterization, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration to support gene therapy, cell therapy, and RNA-based therapeutic programs.

TECHNICAL SKILLS RNA & Molecular Biology •\tIn vitro transcription (IVT), mRNA production workflows, RNA purification, RNA integrity analysis, RNA/DNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, PCR, cloning, vector design, plasmid preparation Cell Biology & Therapeutic Assays •\tMammalian cell culture, cell line maintenance, neuronal differentiation, transfection, electroporation, cell-based potency assays Analytical & Functional Assays •\tMulticolor flow cytometry, FlowJo analysis, ELISA, MSD cytokine assays, automated western blot (Jess), capillary electrophoresis, TapeStation QC, Incucyte live-cell imaging, protein expression analysis Software & Data Analysis •\tGraphPad Prism, FlowJo, JMP, ImageJ (Fiji), MSD Discovery Workbench, Compass for SW, Benchling, Geneious, SnapGene, SciNote, Microsoft Excel

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Eurofins PSS Scientist III | Berkeley, CA February 2025 – Present •\tPerformed multicolor flow cytometry to characterize pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), differentiated neurons, and midbrain dopaminergic neuron drug products to assess cell identity, population profiles, and differentiation efficiency. •\tConducted neurite outgrowth assays to evaluate effects of cell seeding density, coating duration, and coating concentration on neurite length and replating efficiency. •\tDeveloped and executed neuronal maturation assays to evaluate differentiation of drug product into midbrain dopaminergic neurons under different process conditions. •\tAnalyzed Incucyte live-cell imaging and flow cytometry datasets to support process characterization studies. •\tSupported analytical development through assay optimization, troubleshooting, protocol refinement, and cross-functional collaboration.

ReCode Therapeutics Research Associate II | Menlo Park, CA July 2023 – January 2025 •\tDesigned and cloned expression vectors and optimized in vitro transcription (IVT) workflows for generation of mRNA constructs. •\tProduced and characterized RNA materials through purification workflows and assessed RNA quality, concentration, and integrity using capillary electrophoresis and TapeStation analysis. •\tPerformed mammalian cell culture and transfection of A549 cells to evaluate mRNA delivery, protein expression, and therapeutic potency by automated western blot (Jess) and ELISA. •\tOptimized culture conditions and performed functional characterization assays using primary PBMC models. •\tExecuted cell-based functional assays including flow cytometry, MSD cytokine profiling to evaluate therapeutic activity. •\tPerformed automated high-throughput RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, amplicon PCR, SPRI cleanup, and sequencing sample QC workflows. •\tSupported development and optimization of RNA-based therapeutic workflows in a fast-paced research environment by communicating findings to cross-functional teams.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. Intern, Biologics Process Research & Development South San Francisco, CA | June 2022 – December 2022 •\tMaintained mammalian CHO cell cultures, including passaging, cryopreservation, transfection, and production-scale shake flask cultures. •\tGenerated stable CHO cell lines using CRISPR and transposase-mediated genome engineering approaches. •\tPerformed electroporation, single-cell sorting, cloning, PCR, plasmid preparation and sequencing preparation. •\tOptimized batch and fed-batch culture conditions to improve antibody production and cell-specific productivity. •\tCharacterized protein expression using western blot.

LanzaTech | Northwestern University Intern, Synthetic Biology Skokie, IL | January 2023 – June 2023 •\tConducted metabolic engineering of microbial systems for pathway optimization by creating a combinatorial library to knock-in and knock-out genes. •\tDesigned and executed plasmid constructs using Gibson assembly and Golden Gate cloning for protein expression.

Wangikar Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Project Intern Mumbai, India | November 2019 – June 2020 •\tDeveloped protocols for recombinant protein expression in E. coli, improving solubilization and troubleshooting protein expression challenges such as low yields by optimizing parameters like temperature and inducer concentrations. •\tDrove the effort on optimization of extraction and solubilization buffers for the complete solubilization of inclusion bodies and turbidity analysis.

EDUCATION Northwestern University Master of Biotechnology | Evanston, IL September 2021 – June 2023 GPA: 3.9/4.0 D. Y. Patil University Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology | Navi Mumbai, India June 2016 – July 2020 GPA: 6.73/7

CERTIFICATIONS •\tStem Cell Science Certification •\tBehavioral Genetics Certification

Your background is an absolute hand-in-glove fit for this role. Let's make sure you walk into that interview ready to show them exactly how your hands-on expertise maps to what they're building.

The Opportunity

Addition Therapeutics is a freshly funded, biotechnology company in South San Francisco that spun out of UC Berkeley with $100,000,000 in backing. They are on a mission to build a brand-new, "third path" in genetic medicine. To understand why their technology is such a big deal, we have to look at the two giants that currently rule the landscape and see where they fall short.

Feature	Viral Vector Gene Therapy	CRISPR Gene Editing	Addition's Platform
Delivery Method	Engineered viruses (AAV, Lentivirus)	Cas9 protein + guide RNA	Non-viral Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs)
Genomic Impact	Random integration (cancer risk)	Double-stranded DNA cuts	Safe harbor targeted integration
Immunogenicity	High (can't redose easily)	Moderate	Low (all-RNA payload)
Durability	Long-term	Long-term	Long-term

Addition is trying to bypass these limitations with their proprietary platform, called . Instead of slicing open the genome with CRISPR or using viral delivery systems that trigger the immune system, PRINT utilizes LNPs to deliver an all-RNA package directly to cells.

Make me a podcast: help me prepare for this interview https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4448899924/

I have set the wheels in motion to create a full audio podcast summarizing your preparation plan for Addition Therapeutics! While that is generating behind the scenes, let's make sure we dive straight into the technical core of what makes their platform so revolutionary.

From IVT Bench to PRINT Platform: How Your RNA and LNP Work Translates to Gene WritingPodcast

While you listen to that overview, let's explore exactly how their platform operates at the molecular level, because this is exactly what you will be discussing during your technical rounds. Since you've optimized in vitro transcription (IVT) and transfection at ReCode, this workflow is going to feel incredibly familiar, yet beautifully distinct in its mechanism of action.

The PRINT Molecular Mechanism

Rather than utilizing physical 'molecular scissors' like CRISPR-Cas9, PRINT achieves genomic integration via a highly targeted transcription event. Inside the lipid nanoparticle (LNP), Addition packages two distinct RNA components:

A messenger RNA (mRNA) that encodes a specialized enzyme.
The therapeutic RNA template itself, containing the gene to be inserted, flanked by sequence-specific landing markers.

Once the LNP transfects the cell, the host machinery translates the mRNA to produce the active enzyme. This enzyme then binds the therapeutic RNA template, localizes to a designated site in the genome, and reverse-transcribes the payload directly into the DNA without ever creating a double-stranded break. Let's look at how this sequence plays out:

A four-step schematic showing LNP mRNA delivery, ribosomal translation, target binding, and seamless integration without double-stranded breaks.

I've generated a molecular schematic showing how this process behaves inside the cell compared to traditional editing. Because you've spent years analyzing RNA quality on the TapeStation and running cell-based readouts, you are uniquely positioned to show them you know exactly how to validate this process from end to end. Should we explore how to translate your specific background in IVT and transfections directly to optimizing this PRINT workflow, or would you prefer to dive into the safe-harbor assays they use to prove successful integration?