His lab works at the interface of chemical engineering, genomics, and gene editing by applying big data approaches to nanomedicine. His lab is known for developing DNA barcoded nanoparticles to measure how hundreds of nanoparticles deliver mRNA and siRNA in multiple cell types from a single animal in vivo. The lab uses these approaches to deliver RNA outside the liver.
James was a co-founder and Board Chairman of Guide Therapeutics, which was acquired by Beam Therapeutics. His trainees have become investors, started companies, and work in some of the most cutting-edge organizations in RNA therapeutics