A day in the life: Meet the MSAT scientists behind 4basebio's synthetic DNA innovation

At 4basebio, our Manufacturing Sciences & Technology (MSAT) team is at the heart of transforming synthetic DNA innovation into tangible solutions. They sit at a critical junction, between research and large-scale production, ensuring that the synthetic DNA we develop for applications such as mRNA therapies, vaccines, and gene therapies is not only high-quality, but also scalable and timely.  

But what does life really look like inside MSAT? We spent a day getting to know four team members, Surabhi, Thomas, Jessie and Deborah. Allowing us to uncover what drives them, what challenges they face, and what makes their work so meaningful. Each of them brings a unique perspective to the team and a shared passion for scientific problem-solving.  

Starting the Day: Collaboration and Planning 

For each of them, their day starts off with collaborating within their teams and setting up for the day. Jessie is part of the MSAT Purification team, she usually starts the day with a team meeting and setting her priorities for the day.  

 “I meet with the project management team and update them on the progress in the lab, they also let me know which projects need to be prioritised,” she says. Tom, who is also on the Purification team, says “Some days I will focus mainly on analytics, looking at lots of gels, and conducting poly A tails analysis, and others will involve the actual purification or buffer exchange.”   

Meanwhile, Deborah leads the RUO Product Team, she usually manages the research only use projects at 4basebio. “I make sure the projects are on track and what is expected by the client and meeting the deliverables.” She explains “I also do quite a bit of data analysis for my own laboratory experiments as well as helping the whole team with data analytics and presenting it to wider teams”  

Facing Challenges: The Importance of Communication and Teamwork 

The work is quite demanding, due to the complex client work that the MSAT team work on. Communication across departments, rapid troubleshooting, and the pressure of meeting project timelines are common hurdles. But these challenges are exactly what drive the team forward.   

Teamwork is extremely important especially during busy periods, when major deadlines are approaching. Deborah mentioned “When it gets busier and we’ve got lots of projects going on, we all tend to work together and try to help each other out on different projects.” While, for Surabhi, collaboration within the MSAT team helps her stay motivated, she said “when we have a set deadline it can cause a bit of stress but everyone in MSAT helps each other out, so that makes it easier.”  

One of the aspects of Tom’s role that he enjoys the most is being able to solve problems.  Thanks to the complex sequences he deals with daily, Tom gets to come up with new ideas and resolve the challenges he encounters. “It’s problem solving, back to the drawing board, working the problem and then taking another stab at it,” he says.   

The team agrees on one thing: communication, collaboration, and organization are the skills that keep MSAT running smoothly. As MSAT works with a lot of different teams, being able to communicate well between them, allows for processes to runs smoothly. The work that they do then feeds into the other departments, which allows them to conduct further studies.  As Surabhi says “We try to communicate as much as possible to make things smoother for all the other teams as well.”  

Life at MSAT: Fast-Paced, Purpose-Driven, and Team-Oriented 

Aside from the challenges that all of them encounter, the work that the MSAT team do is extremely rewarding. Jessie is driven by the impact the synthetic DNA has and the feedback she gets from clients. Tom enjoys the innovation and complexity of his purification work. And for Deb, the bigger picture has become more visible since stepping into a leadership role. “Now that I lead projects, I get to see the applications from the start, and understand what the DNA sequence is for, how it might be used, and how our work ties into something disease-specific,” she says. That context has added a new layer of meaning to her work.  

Being part of MSAT at 4basebio means balancing tight timelines with technical precision, working through scientific puzzles with a supportive team, and contributing to groundbreaking products that may power tomorrow’s therapies. It’s not always easy but it’s never boring. As Surabhi puts it, “It’s the people that make the difference. Having a team like MSAT makes even the hardest days exciting.”  

If you're a scientist looking to make a real-world impact, MSAT could be the perfect place to grow. Explore opportunities at 4basebio on our Careers Page.