The Department of Laboratory Medicine consists of 7 divisions and is active in many areas of Laboratory Medicine. The department is involved in advanced basic scientific, clinical and
epidemiological research. The department is one of the largest departments of education at Karolinska Institutet.

The Department of Laboratory Medicine is tightly connected with clinical researchers and healthcare teams at several departments of the Karolinska University Hospital, which allows for translational research involving clinical material and the potential to bring new therapies from bench to bedside. The facilities at Laboratory Medicine offer state-of-the art cell culture, molecular biology, flow cytometry and microscopy facilities. The vision of the Department is to conduct research to promote human health. This research often leads to new diagnostic methods, clinical practices or to new treatments.

Biomolecular and Cellular Medicine (BCM)
BCM is one of the divisions at the Department of Laboratory Medicine and is localized at the Clinical Research Centre at the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, where a large proportion of the clinical research at this hospital site is performed. 

Biomolecular and Cellular Medicine (BCM) consists of several research groups and core facilities. Activities are translational in nature and include fundamental molecular cell biology studies, pre-clinical testing of therapy/ diagnostic agents and related activities, certified production of cell products for clinical use, phenotypical analysis of cells and tissues as well as clinical studies of patients treated with cell therapy agents.

The research project and the research group
The research efforts in Associate Professor Samir EL Andaloussi´s group focus on one of the greatest challenges facing modern therapeutics; delivery.

Despite the unprecedented knowledge of diseases and their mechanisms due to advances in biomedical sciences; many promising therapeutic approaches are still clinically unavailable. This is simply because there is no efficient means of delivering these therapeutics to the right organ with the right dose. Such therapeutics include proteins for replacement therapy or antibodies for anti-inflammatory treatment as well as nucleic acids for gene therapy of diseases including muscular dystrophies and neurodegenerative disorders.

We develop innovative drug delivery technologies that are able to carry protein and/or gene therapies to the target tissues safely and efficiently. We have developed a promising technology based on reprogramming exosomes, which are vesicles that are naturally used by cells to communicate, to carry therapeutic proteins and nucleic acids. We engineer exosomes with enhanced delivery and targeting capacities and screen our wide array of exosome designs in disease-relevant cellular and animal models.

Additionally, our lab develops methods for gene therapy based on modified cell-penetrating peptides that are efficient carriers of nucleic acids and proteins across biological barriers. We test our different technologies in models of inflammatory diseases, tumors as well as neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disorders. Our main aim is to one day unlock the potential of protein and gene therapy of such diseases by the development of novel and efficient delivery technologies.

Project duties
We are seeking a highly motivated person to join the group of Associate Professor Samir EL Andaloussi as a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on the development of bioengineered extracellular vesicles (EVs).

Most of the research will be conducted utilizing cell lines and animal models. The first part of the work will involve performing a library screen to identify novel sorting domains that allow for high level protein cargo loading into EVs when expressed from plasmids in producer cells. Loading levels are determined by using GFP as reporter protein and analyzing EVs by image-based flow cytometry. Screening will be performed in several cell lines and lead constructs will then be re-cloned to replace GFP for the CRE enzyme. Validated EVs in cell culture will subsequently be tested in loxP mice and assessed for their ability to functionally delivery CRE protein or mRNA. Here, different EV sources will be tested to functionally determine cell tropism in vivo.  

Entry requirements and qualifications
A person is eligible for a position as Postdoctoral Researcher if he or she has obtained a PhD no more than seven years before the last date of employment as postdoc. The term can be extended under special circumstances.

The applicants should have a solid background in basic biology or drug delivery. The position requires experience in practical lab experience in the following areas; expression analysis on the protein (Immunoblotting and ELISA) and RNA level (qPCR). Extensive experience from cell culture work is needed and some experience from different microscopy techniques (ICC, IHC, EM). The project will include animal work which requires that the applicant has extensive animal work experience and must hold a FelasaC certificate. The applicant should also have some experience from work with EVs.

Previous experience from molecular cloning is a merit. In addition, excellent proficiency in both spoken and written English is essential. We are looking for an energetic and passionate person who fits in, and actively contributes to our team.

Application process
An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

  1. A complete curriculum vitae, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
  2. A complete list of publications
  3. A summary of current work (no more than one page)

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Pursuant to the regulations of the Swedish National Archives, applications are kept on file for two years after the appointment has gained legal force. The regulations do not apply to attachments that have been printed or otherwise published.

Location: Flemingsberg, KI South
Further information:
https://ki.se/en/labmed/research-group-samir-el-andaloussi
https://ki.se/en/labmed/biomolecular-and-cellular-medicine-bcm

Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Its vision is to significantly contribute to the improvement of human health. Karolinska Institutet accounts for the single largest share of all academic medical research conducted in Sweden and offers the country’s broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet selects the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.

Karolinska Institutet strives to provide a workplace that has approximately the same number of women and men, is free of discrimination and offers equal opportunity to everyone.

For temp agencies and recruiters, and to salespersons: We politely, yet firmly, decline direct contact with temp agencies and recruiters, as well as those selling additional job announcements.

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Full time
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Huddinge
County Stockholms län
Country Sweden
Reference number 2-780/2020
Contact
  • Samir EL Andaloussi, , samir.el-andaloussi@ki.se
Union representative
  • Carina Eklund, OFR, 08-585 826 65
  • Emilie Hultin, Annica Lindkvist, SACO, 08-524 832 86, 08-524 837 46
  • Henry Wölling, SEKO, 08-524 840 80
Published 18.Feb.2020
Last application date 10.Mar.2020 11:59 PM CET

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