Postdoctoral studies in drug and biomarker development in neurodegenerative disorders, with focus on ALS and Alzheimer’s disease (scholarship) - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Associate Professor Taher Darreh-Shori is an experienced pharmacologist. Darreh-Shori’s Lab has a strong profile in neuropharmacology and works with drug and biomarker development in the field of neurodegenerative disorders with a focus on the cholinergic neuronal interfaces in PNS, ENS and CNS. The target that we are currently working on is the key cholinergic enzyme, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), which is responsible for biosynthesis of acetylcholine. We are working with two unique sets of small molecule ChAT ligands. Our aims are to develop some of the compounds as molecular probes, e.g. as ChAT tracers for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of cholinergic interfaces in the body. The other ChAT ligands represent a new class of drug candidates that we call ChAT-Potentiating-Ligands (CPLs). CPLs have been designed based on the novel cholinergic enhancing strategy of increasing the in vivo biosynthesis of acetylcholine rather than inhibiting its biodegradations. The ChAT-PET probes and CPLs are expected to have high potential in a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders where cholinergic deficit is a key feature, such as Alzheimer-like dementias, and motor neurons disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Your mission

As a postdoctoral researcher in our team, you will be working with in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies involved in characterization of novel small molecules, as molecular probes, and drug candidates. You are expected to take an active role in designing the studies and applying a diverse battery of biochemical and pharmacological methods for cell cultures and animal models. You will also be involved i supervising, training, and planning high quality smaller master-degree study projects for national and international students.

Your profile

We seek You, who are a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher. Preferably, You have done your PhD study in motor neurons diseases, such as ALS field. You have very good pharmacological knowledge and have good experience with performing such studies in cell culture systems and animal models. In other words, You have hands-on experience with 2D/3D cell culture studies as well as in vivo animal studies. You are skilled in performing immunohistochemistry and -cytochemistry. You have very good understanding of data processing and statistical analyses. Experience with studying mitochondrial function, morphology and mitochondria-driven apoptosis are highly desirable merits. Since your tasks include writing manuscripts and presentation of scientific data, excellent oral and writing skills in English are required.

You are also a highly motivated team-player with positive proactive attitudes towards working with national and international collaborators. You are well-organized and very good in planning and keeping the deadlines.

Entry requirements

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: Campus Flemingsberg

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)

The application is to be submitted on the Varbi recruitment system. We might start interviewing candidates before the last aplication date.

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