Postdoctoral studies in Identification of Autoantigens as Diagnostic Targets for the Development of Lipid Nanoparticle Therapeutics (Scholarship) - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

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.

The Division of Biomolecular and Cellular Medicine (BCM) focus on the application of modified biomolecules, cells and cell products as novel therapy agents as well as the identification and study of appropriate biomolecular and cellular targets for therapy and diagnosis.

Division

Our research efforts in the EL Andaloussi´s lab focus on one of the greatest challenges facing modern therapeutics; the delivery of macromolecules to target cells in vivo. Despite the unprecedented knowledge of diseases and their mechanisms due to advances in biomedical sciences; many promising therapeutic approaches are still clinically unavailable. This is simply because there is no efficient means of delivering these therapeutics to the right organ with the right dose. Our research performance involves developing novel and innovative drug delivery technologies that can carry proteins, RNAs, or gene therapies to the target tissues safely and efficiently. Thus, we engineer exosomes with enhanced delivery and targeting capacities and screen our wide array of exosome designs in disease-relevant cellular and animal models. However, in order to effectively guide our drug delivery systems to target cells, diagnostic biomarkers must also be identified. Thus, we are also developing effective methods of EV isolation from fresh and cryopreserved biofluid samples for the identification of diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of various cancers and diseases. Thus, our research platform offers a unique opportunity for target discovery, manufacturing and delivery of advanced therapeutics.

We are now looking for a person to join us for postdoctoral studies with scholarship.

Duties

As a Postdoctoral Researcher you will be involved in research on the identification of protein and RNA markers for the diagnosis and treatment of various cancers. These targets will then be used for the development of a delivery system to target diseased cells in vivo. Most of the research will be conducted utilizing proteomic and sequencing-based techniques. The first part will involve isolating EVs from patient biofluids, from which therapeutic targets will be identified. Following validation of these targets, a drug delivery system utilizing lipid nanoparticles targeted to the previously identified extracellular proteins will be developed. Successful candidate constructs will later be developed to target disease relevant targets in vivo.

Entry requirements

Scholarships for postdoctoral qualification can be established for foreign researchers who place their qualifications in Sweden. 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.

The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish doctorate or higher.

Furthermore we want a person with a solid background in cancer biology and immunology. To get the scholarship it is required to have practical lab experience in the following areas; foremost, extensive knowledge and experience with proteomic techniques, such as mass spectrometry, and the programming languages (e.g., R/python) necessary to work with such data sets. Secondly, experience with immunoprecipitation techniques, flow cytometric analysis and working with rodents. Finally, the ideal postdoctoral student would also have experience applying the specific techniques proposed here within the EV field. Excellent proficiency in both spoken and written English is important.

We are looking for an energetic and passionate person who fits in, and actively contributes to our team. In this reqruitment we place high importance on personal characteristics

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
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

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

Welcome with your application by the latest 14 March.

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