Karolinska Institutet, Dept. of Oncology-Pathology, Research group Holmgren

At the Department of Oncology-Pathology basic, translational and clinical research and educational activities related to cancer is carried out. Approximately 300 people from over 40 nations are currently working at the department. About 30 research groups with various cancer research profiles are involved and we have around 110 PhD students. The Department of Oncology-Pathology is responsible for undergraduate courses in Pathology, Oncology and Forensic Medicine for medical students, as well as for Tumor biology courses for biomedicine students and Pathology courses for opticians.

Division
The position is placed in the research group of Prof. Lars Holmgren at Cancer Centre Karolinska, CCK.

Project background
Mechanical forces control the development of functional organs but are also deregulated in tumor progression. To date, we know very little regarding the molecular pathways by which cells respond to force and how these can be used for therapeutics. We have previously reported the discovery of the Angiomotin protein family (Troyanovsky JCB 2001, Aase Genes&Development 2007, Yi Cancer Cell 2011, Hultin Nature Comm 2014, Mojallal Nature Comm 2014, Zheng Scientific Reports 2016). During this granting period, we have shown that these proteins relay force by connecting membrane receptors to the cytoskeleton. We further showed relevance for these proteins in essential developmental processes such as angiogenesis, blastocyst hatching and aortic expansion. We further show that these pathways are deregulated in invasive cancer. The present proposal is based on yet unpublished data regarding a direct mechanical connection between the microenvironment and the cell nucleus. We aim to show how this affects nuclear properties promoting invasion and through the use state-of-the-art techniques to investigate how mechanical forces affect chromatin architecture and gene transcription.

http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?l=en&d=10258&a=130074

Area of responsibilities/description of the work
We aim to study the role of the Amot family of proteins in development and cancer. This family of proteins was discovered by the group and has been shown to be involved in cell migration, polarity, cytoskeletal rearrangement and cell-cell contact formation. The successful candidate will be involved in setting up experiments and analyzing results in mouse KO models that recently has been established.  These include retinal angiogenesis as well as tumor progression in breast cancer. Quations that will be adressed are how mechanical forces are relayed between cells, how this affects morphogenesis, cellular invasion, nuclear positioning and chromosomal organization.

Qualifications
To qualify, the applicant must hold a doctor’s degree or a foreign qualification deemed equivalent to a doctorate in a relevant field. The applicant must have more than 3 years of experience in experimental research and be well educated in the areas of developmental biology, tumor biology, confocal imaging.

The position will be fixed to one year with possibilities for prolongation with one year. Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1)  Education and previous training

2)  Relevance for the project

3)  Publication and track record

4)  Motivation

Entry requirements
Scholarships for carrying out postdoctoral research may be granted to persons living in other countries who come 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 from KI. Qualified to be admitted as a postdoctor is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish PhD or higher.

Type of scholarship
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. This educational scholarship is tax-exempt.

The amount is set for twelve months at a time and is paid out on a monthly basis. In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

Application process
An application must contain the following documents in English:

  1. Curriculum vitae and qualifications, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet’s qualifications portfolio (http://ki.se/meritportfolj )
  2. A complete list of publications
  3. A summary of current work (no more than one page)
  4. Verifications for crediting of illness, military service, work for labour unions or studentorganisations, parental leave or similar circumstances

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

First day of employment According to agreement
Reference number 2-2402/2018
Contact
  • Lars Holmgren, 08-517 793 17
Union representative
  • Mimmi Shoshan, SACO, 46 8 517 754 60
  • Andreas Lundqvist, SACO, 46 8 517 768 84, andreas.lundqvist@ki.se;
  • Helen Eriksson, OFR, 08 517 762 79
Published 25.Apr.2018
Last application date 25.Jun.2018 11:59 PM CEST

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