Postdoctoral position in stem cells and erythropoiesis in MDS

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We are seeking a highly motivated and ambitious individual to join the research group of Eva Hellström Lindberg as a Postdoctoral Fellow. The successful candidate will further elucidate the cellular and molecular pathways underlying aberrant stem cell function and ineffective erythropoiesis in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Specifically, we aim to understand why SF3B1-mutated stem cells, over decades, outcompete wild-type stem cells in the human bone marrow. This competition ultimately leads to a dominant mutated stem cell population, complete erythroid failure, and a chronic need for transfusions.Recent studies from our group, including Hofman IJF et al., Blood Adv 2022; Moura PL et al., Cancer Res 2024; and Moura PL et al., Blood Neoplasia 2024, indicate that end-stage ring sideroblasts (RS) develop anti-apoptotic properties, enrich in the human bone marrow (BM), and constitute the dominant source of GDF15 production. This production negatively affects the growth of wild-type versus mutated stem cells. We hypothesize that inhibition of the stress factor GDF15, through both direct (targeting GDF15) and indirect (targeting RS) approaches, may shift the clonal balance back in favor of wild-type stem cells.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) comprise a broad spectrum of hematological malignancies affecting the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment and causing myeloid cytopenias. One particular subtype, MDS with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS), is largely caused by de novo mutations in the splice factor gene SF3B1 and is characterized by anemia with successive refractoriness to therapy.This project will focus on characterizing the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying MDS-RS, with the aim of identifying novel targetable pathways to minimize the disease’s impact.

Your mission

You are expected to be a talented and enthusiastic researcher with a strong drive to perform translational research. You will be instrumental in the elaboration of scientific hypotheses, experimental design, experimentation, data analysis, and the presentation/publication of results. You must be a good team player while retaining enough independence to explore your results from a conceptual standpoint. You will be responsible for your own academic, research, and administrative activities, adapting existing and developing new scientific techniques, testing hypotheses, and analyzing data from a variety of sources.

Skills and personal qualities 

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor, a PhD 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.

For this postion the applicants must have a PhD in medicine, molecular biology, cell biology, or related fields. Candidates with a strong background in erythropoiesis, assessment of red blood cell function and proteomics are highly encouraged to apply. Similarly, previous experience with flow cytometry for the analysis of primary hematopoietic cells and mouse model work will be looked upon favorably.

Applicants should have a high personal drive and motivation, be innovative and eager to solve problems, and contribute actively to other projects within the research team. Applicants should be fluent in English (written and spoken). Emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

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 

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)

Welcome to apply at the latest 2025-07-09.

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

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