Postdoctoral studies in Translating CRISPR-Engineered CAR T Cells to the Clinic at Karolinska University Hospital (scholarship)

Postdoctoral studies in translating CRISPR-Engineered CAR T Cells (scholarship)

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The Department of Laboratory Medicine consists of seven divisions and is active in many areas of Laboratory Medicine. The department is involved in advanced basic scientific, clinical and epidemiological research. The department is one of the largest departments of education at Karolinska Institutet.

Division

The Department of Laboratory Medicine comprises seven divisions engaged in both research and education. The department conducts cutting-edge basic and translational research with a strong focus on advancing medical science and clinical applications.

The Division of Biomolecular and Cellular Medicine focuses on developing modified biomolecules, cells, and cell-derived products as novel therapeutic agents, as well as identifying and characterizing biomolecular and cellular targets for therapy and diagnostics.

Assistant Professor Joel Nordin’s research group is now seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow (Scholarship position) to drive the translation of CRISPR-engineered CAR T cells toward clinical implementation and a first-in-human trial.

Description of the subject area

Research in the Nordin Laboratory focuses on one of the greatest challenges in modern therapeutics — the delivery of macromolecules. Despite extensive knowledge of diseases and their underlying mechanisms, many promising therapeutic strategies remain clinically unavailable due to the lack of efficient delivery methods that can target the right organ at the right dose.

The Nordin Group develops innovative cell and gene therapies for advanced medical applications. In this project, the aim is to translate a CAR T-cell therapy into a hospital-based production pipeline, enabling rapid initiation of a clinical trial at Karolinska University Hospital.

The work will include preclinical development and optimization of production workflows to ensure a seamless transition into a GMP-compliant process. Throughout the project, there will be close collaboration with the hospital’s clinical stem cell laboratory to align protocols and workflows with the available equipment and resources from an early stage.

Duties

As a Postdoctoral Fellow, you will be responsible for developing an optimized CAR T-cell production pipeline tailored to the clinical environment at Karolinska University Hospital. The CAR T cells will be produced ex vivo using non-viral, CRISPR-based knock-in methods.

You will optimize the CAR construct and knock-in site, followed by functional evaluation both in vitro and in vivo. Subsequently, the process will be refined to meet GMP standards and scaled up to clinical production levels.

The overarching goal is to translate these CAR T cells into a clinical trial as rapidly as possible, thereby making a direct impact on patients who currently lack access to CAR T-cell therapy. In parallel, in vivo CAR T strategies will also be explored, although this will not be the main focus of the postdoctoral project.

Assessment criteria

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has previous experience within

• Extensive experience in working with primary immune cells; previous experience with primary T cells is particularly meriting.
• Experience in the generation and characterization of CAR T cells.
• Extensive experience with CRISPR-Cas9 and HDR or similar technologies for site-specific knock-in of large transgenes.

It is meritorious that the applicant has

• Experience with electroporation and other transfection techniques.
• The ideal candidate will also have experience with T-cell cytotoxicity assays and in vivo cancer models for evaluating CAR T-cell function.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual who thrives in a collaborative environment and actively contributes to the team’s progress. In this recruitment, personal qualities are given significant importance.

Following a comprehensive assessment of each applicant’s expertise and qualifications in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which candidate has the greatest potential to contribute to the positive development of the institute’s activities.

Entry requirements

Postdoctoral scholarships may be established for foreign researchers who pursue their merit in Sweden. A foreign researcher is a person living in another country who comes to Sweden with the intention of only staying in Sweden for all or part of their postdoctoral education at KI. Persons who are resident in Sweden and/or have carried out all or part of their academic education at KI or some other educational institution in Sweden cannot be considered for scholarships. 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.

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. Here, we conduct innovative medical research and provide the largest range of biomedical 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. Students and employees have free access to our modern gym facilities with trained staff on site.

Location: 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

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

Welcome with your application 1 December at the latest.

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