Two Postdoctoral Researchers for development of a novel drug against Alzheimer´ s disease

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We seek two highly motivated post-docs who will work together on an innovative drug concept based on combining the molecular chaperone BRICHOS with nerve growth factor (NGF) to achieve bimodal effects against Alzheimer pathology.

Our research environment at Karolinska Institutet combines strong protein biochemical expertise from the Department of Medicine Huddinge (https://ki.se/en/people/janne-johansson) with expertise in neurobiology and geriatrics from the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (https://ki.se/en/people/maria-eriksdotter). One post-doc should have expertise in recombinant protein production in pro- and eukaryotic hosts and the other post-doc should be trained in cell biological assays and animal models of neurodegeneration.

Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH)

MedH has about 500 employees and conducts world leading basic and translational medical research in essentially all fields of medicine (https://ki.se/medh). The focus of our group is to develop medical treatments and technologies from basic protein biochemical studies. We have  identified the chaperone properties of BRICHOS, developed a biologic drug against respiratory disease and discovered novel biotechnology tools from studies of spider silk proteins.

Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS)

NVS comprises 7 divisions and has about 500 employees (https://ki.se/nvs). The NVS-department conducts world leading clinical and experimental research in aging, dementia, epidemiology, and care sciences. NVS educates almost a third of KI students at basic and advanced levels including research education.

Our research group focuses on therapeutic applications in Alzheimer´s disease, targeting neurotrophic and cholinergic pathways, primarily NGF drug delivery or cholinesterase inhibitor treatment. We have experience which range from phase 1b clinical trials on alzheimer patients to preclinical research using Alzheimer disease mouse models.

Your mission

The two successful candidates will work on (1) recombinant protein production in mammalian cells, structural and functional characterization of molecular chaperone activity, and blood brain barrier passage, and (2) neurobiological effects of recombinant chaperone-NGF proteins in cell and mouse models. 

Your profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor, a PhD in a relevant field or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish PhD is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. Completion of your doctoral degree within the last three years is considered an advantage. If there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier. Excellent collaboration and communications skills, as well as a genuine passion for research, are required.

For the focus area Protein Biochemistry
The successful candidate should have a strong PhD training in practical protein expression, purification and characterisation. Experience of recombinant expression of proteins in mammalian cell systems is required. We seek a strong protein experimentalist who is trained in designing and analysing a range of biochemical and biophysical assays.

For the focus area Neurobiology
The successful candidate must hold a PhD degree, or a foreign qualification deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree in the field of biological sciences/neuroscience, and must have experience in working with mice models, neurobehavioral tests, histological evaluation of tissues, immunochemistry, fluorescence microscopy, and cell culture (primary cell culture and/or cell lines). Additional experience in ELISA, Flow-Cytometry, qPCR, HPLC, western blotting would be an advantage. The candidate should have a strong interest in neurodegenerative diseases and therapeutic regenerative approaches.

Both post-docs will be expected to pursue independent research projects, write scientific articles in highly ranked international journals, present research results at scientific conferences and for society, write and apply for own grants and tutor students in the research group.

What do we offer?

We offer a two-year position as a post-doctoral researcher with a competitive salary

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 specialities and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with 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: Campus Flemingsberg

Links: Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

Application

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

• PhD certificate
• 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)
• Verifications for crediting of illness, military service, work for labour unions or student organizations, parental leave or similar circumstances
• Please specify which focus area you intend to apply for (protein biochemistry or neurobiological effects of BRICHOS-NGF

Welcome to apply at the latest 11 April 2025.

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

Permanent position is initiated by a six month-trial period.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!