Job title : PhD student
Department : CDL Research
Location : UMC Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100
Contract type : Fixed-term for up to 4 years
Additional information : Funded by Phospholipid Research Center, starting date September 2024 Dr Pieter Vader
Reporting to : Dr Pieter Vader
Profile:
- (Nearly) completed a master of science program (MSc) in a relevant area of research such as pharmacology, drug innovation, or (bio)medical sciences.
- Experience with general molecular biology techniques, tissue culture and physicochemical characterization of nanoparticles is desired.
- Must be able to work both independently and as part of a team, and to communicate effectively with others, particularly with regard to the presentation of scientific data.
Project:
RNA-based therapeutics have unprecedented therapeutic potential and hold the promise of treating any disease with a genetic component. However, inefficient delivery into diseased cells hinders their clinical progress. Recently, an endogenous RNA transport system has emerged, based on the release and uptake of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are naturally equipped to transfer RNA molecules to other cells in a functional and selective manner.
As EV surface proteins seem of critical importance for this transport function, synthetic RNA delivery systems may be improved through EV-based engineering by incorporating EV surface proteins, creating EV mimetics. The aims of this project to prepare and functionally evaluate the use of such EV mimetics for therapeutic RNA delivery.
Organization:
Research efforts in our lab are focused on development of EV-inspired drug delivery systems. Our team is part of the Nanomedicine Lab of UMC Utrecht. The UMCU is located in the scientific campus of the Utrecht University with access to a large number of facilities. Utrecht is a beautiful city located in the center of the Netherlands, close to Amsterdam and its international airport.
Application deadline: April 5th 2024.
Application process:
Please send your CV and supporting statement to Dr Pieter Vader (pvader@umcutrecht.nl). Please provide details of two referees and indicate whether we can contact them at this stage.
Further information:
For questions about the position, please send an email to pvader@umcutrecht.nl
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