Postdoctoral Researcher in Neuroscience and Inflammation - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

The Department of Laboratory Medicine consists of seven divisions in which both research and teaching are carried out. The department is involved in advanced research in both basic and applied research. All departments operate in close contact with clinicians at Karolinska University Hospital.

We are currently looking for a postdoctoral fellow to join Katarina Le Blanc's research group in the Department of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine. The research group collaborates with Associate Professor Ellen Lacobaeus, Department of Neuroscience. The focus of the research group is to explore the immunomodulatory and trophic properties of mesenchymal stromal cells in vivo and assess their therapeutic potential. We offer an interesting position in a creative and inspiring environment with extensive expertise and interest in stem cell biology, neuroscience and immunology. Something that is conducive to future independent research careers. The research is published in reputable scientific journals and the lab is part of a modern research environment at ANA Futura, Flemingsberg.

The position is fixed-term for 2 years.

About the project

For 20 years, Katarina Le Blank's research team has been studying the in vivo and in vitro effects of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in healthy and diseased states. At steady state in vivo, MSCs provide direct trophic support to tissues.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neuroinflammatory demyelinating disease that mainly affects young adults with a high prevalence in Sweden. MS is characterised by inflammation, progressive neuron loss and scarring of the central nervous system (CNS).
MSCs are abundant in the CNS where they co-exist with blood vessels and are likely to play an important role in both neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, including MS. We have previously analysed human brain tissue from healthy individuals and MS patients and observed altered density and activity of perivascular MSCs and pericytes in the CNS. The activity of MSCs and pericytes correlated with inflammation and disease duration. In addition, we have analysed MSC from bone marrow of MS patients and healthy subjects and found major differences in their immunomodulatory and trophic properties.

Your mission

As a postdoc in the project you will further investigate the contribution of perivascular MSC and progenitor cells in formalin-fixed and frozen brain tissue from MS patients and healthy individuals. In addition, you will characterize phenotypic and functional differences of MSC from bone marrow from MS patients and healthy individuals. You are going to use of various methods for neuropathological analyses, including immunohistochemistry, FACS analyses, transcytoplasmic analyses, laser microdissection, cell culture, electronic microscopy, etc.

Eventually, you will be expected to supervise students and other researchers and contribute to joint laboratory tasks.

Your profile

Qualified to be employed as a postdoctor is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier. 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) date of employment. This must be substantiated by the applicant's main supervisor, director or equivalent.

We are looking for someone with a PhD in primarily neuroscience, alternatively regenerative or inflammatory research. To be successful in this role, you should be proficient in tissue preservation and the performance of histological analyses, including methods for protein and gene expression studies. Basic understanding of food cytometry and general training in cell culture is a requirement. Excellent command of English in both written and spoken is a requirement. Experience in using laser capture microdissection techniques to isolate cells, as well as experience in performing genetic and proteomic studies, is an advantage.

We offer a multidisciplinary team environment which means that we would like to see you as a person who is motivated, communicative and with experience of interacting effectively and working productively in a multidisciplinary team. In this recruitment we place great importance on personal characteristics.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Flemingsberg

Read about Katarina Le Blanc Research group

Application

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

• A complete resumé, 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)

Varmt välkommen med din ansökan senast den 20 september.

Ansökan ska göras via rekryteringssystemet Varbi.

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