The Institute of Neuropathology at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany , Director Prof. Till Acker, is inviting applications for
2 Postdoc Positions In Cancer Stem Cell Signalling And Epigenetics
The positions are available immediately.
Description
We are looking for enthusiastic and highly motivated applicants holding, or about to obtain, a PhD degree. The applicants should possess a strong research background in molecular and cell biology, previous experience in cancer research will be an advantage. Preference will be given to applicants with previous experience in one or more of the following areas: functional genomics or other high-throughput screening methods, epigenetics, tumor metastasis models, protein biochemistry, posttranslational modifications, hypoxic signalling.
Our group has a long-standing interest in the role of microenvironmental factors, particularly hypoxia, in the regulation of tumor progression. We have dissected the differential functions of the key transcriptional regulators hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha and HIF-2alpha in tumor growth and we are actively investigating the involvement of HIF regulators and downstream targets in tumorigenesis. Our recent work has also focused on cancer stem cells (CSCs), identifying the mechanisms through which hypoxic and vascular niches regulate their maintenance
The proposed projects will aim to 1) provide a comprehensive functional characterization of CSC biology using high-throughput functional genomic approaches and 2) understand the role of specific signalling pathways and epigenetic mechanisms activated by the tumor microenvironment in regulating CSC driven tumor growth and metastasis.
Our international team offers an open, supportive, dynamic and motivating academic environment with excellent training opportunities. We have won a number of external research grants and are involved in several national and international collaborative projects.
We use a wide spectrum of methods: cloning, cell culture, biochemistry, qRT-PCR, FACS, ELISA, cell-based assays (proliferation, apoptosis, migration, 3D invasion, stem cell isolation and cultivation etc.), transactivation assays, virally-based gene delivery and RNAi silencing, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, light, epifluorescence and confocal microscopy, image analysis, animal models and in vivo tumor models.
Website
http://www.ukgm.de/ugm_2/deu/ugi_npa/5424.html
Selected references
Garvalov and Acker, J Mol Med 2011; 89(2):95-107
Sawamiphak et al, Nature 2010; 465(7297):487-91
Henze et al, Cancer Research 2010;70(1):357-66
Seidel et al, Brain 2010;133(4):983-95
Acker et al, Cancer Cell 2005; 8(2):131-41
Compernolle et al, Nature Medicine 2002; 8(7):702-10
Keywords
cancer, tumor, neurooncology, epigenetics, functional genomics, high-throughput screening, posttranslational modifications, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, microscopy, immunostaining, animal experiments, in vivo experiments, cell-based assays, lentiviral transduction, gene silencing, hypoxia inducible factor, HIF, hypoxia, hypoxic signalling, prolyl hydroxylases, PHDs, transcription factors, stem cells, tumor stem cells, cancer stem cells, tumor initiating cells, glioma stem cells, niche, microenvironment, metastasis, Giessen, Germany.
(im Bereich Forschung & Entwicklung, Forschung & Lehre, Wissenschaftl. MitarbeiterIn)
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21.05.2012
Justus-Liebig-Universität
Giessen