Postdoctoral studies in a project to develop a new diagnostic assay for rheumatoid arthritis (scholarship) - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

A postdoc position in a project to develop a new diagnostic assay for rheumatoid arthritis is now open. It is placed at the Section for Medical Inflammation Research, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, in a project led by Prof. Rikard Holmdahl.

The project

The project aims at developing a sensitive and specific diagnostic test for rheumatoid arthritis and other joint inflammatory diseases. The work is tightly connected with projects to develop new preventive treatments, originating from basic research on animal models. The diagnostic test is based on unique antigenic epitopes derived from various joint proteins. The epitopes have been formulated as conformational peptides but needs to be further improved regarding their functional and diagnostic role. As these peptides and epitopes are similar in mice and humans, there are possibilities to make in depth functional analysis in the mouse as well as to test human sera for assay development.

The goal is to publish the results in leading international journals.

Duties

The task is to work with a project to develop new diagnostics and preventive treatment for autoimmune diseases. It involves transferring and analyzing samples and clinical data of large clinical studies. The tasks include further assay development to meet the regulatory requirements for in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) and to conduct research on specific antibodies and other immune-related proteins relevant in autoimmune disease. The assay development will be based on a multiplex platform, and the peptides will be analyzed in detail regarding their physical properties e.g. utilizing solid-phase assays like ELISA to compare with the multiplex technology.

Entry requirements

To qualify, the applicant must hold a PhD in medicine/biological/biotechnology science and have an outstanding experience in practical laboratory work and proven record in scientific publishing. A strong background in biochemistry, immunology or experience working with samples and data from clinical studies is required. Knowledge in statistical methods and bioinformatics is an extra plus.

Knowledge and skill in communicating in spoken and written English is a must.

Scholarships for postdoctoral qualification can be established for foreign researchers who place their qualifications in Sweden. The purpose of scholarships for postdoctoral qualification is to promote internationalization and contribute to research qualification after a doctorate or equivalent.
A scholarship for carrying out postdoctoral research can be granted for a maximum of two years within a four year period following the receipt of a doctoral degree or equivalent.
To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, the person must have obtained a doctorate or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) start date of the post doctoral education.

The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish doctorate or higher.

Location: Biomedicum, Solna

Type of scholarship

The amount is tax free and it is set for twelve months at a time, paid out on a six months basis. In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

Application process

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

• 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
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome with your application latest 19th of December 2021.

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

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