PhD in gene therapy

26 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

UCLouvain

Department

Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique

Research Field

Medical sciences » Medicine

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Belgium

Application Deadline

18 May 2024 - 00:00 (Europe/Brussels)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

38

Offer Starting Date

1 Jul 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

This PhD offer is part of the GT4Health project, funded by the Walloon Region as part of its Win4Excellence program. It aims to develop various disruptive technologies as solutions to major challenges in the gene therapy sector. This multidisciplinary project involves ten partners from five French-speaking Belgian universities (ULiège, ULB, UCL, UNamur and UMons), as well as the CER Groupe research centre. In this project, viral and non-viral vectors will be used to develop innovative personalised therapeutic solutions, enabling researchers to tackle serious hereditary and chronic diseases and cancers by validating a variety of therapeutic targets.

Specifically, the project will tackle transient gene therapy to improve liver regeneration and prevent post-surgical liver failure

Background: Liver failure in cirrhosis has a high mortality rate (>50% at 5 years in severe cirrhosis). The risk of acute hepatocellular failure makes 1 in 5 liver tumour patients ineligible for potentially curative surgical removal.

Question: Can gene therapy improve liver regeneration in situations of critical functional deficit, such as post-surgical failure and life-threatening cirrhosis, using animal models and non-viral vectors to modulate regeneration and cell differentiation pathways?

 

Requirements

Research Field

Medical sciences » Health sciences

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

- Hold a FELSA diploma or equivalent giving access to the handling of experimental animals

Specific Requirements

- Good knowledge of English

- Previous experience in small animal surgery and handling

- Basic knowledge of statistics and handling of common statistical tools

- Ability to work as part of a team.

- Flexibility and ability to work independently

- Experimental rigour, reliability and traceability in the reporting of manipulations carried out.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Good

Research Field

Biological sciences » BiologyMedical sciences » Health sciences

Years of Research Experience

None

Additional Information
Benefits

Work contract for 4 up to 4 years (1year renewable 3 times)

Join a dynamic team of PhD students, post-docs, technicians and permanent staff and be part of a global project involving several universities

Access to cutting-edge technical platforms

Access to a doctoral training program

Eligibility criteria

Hold a master degree

Speak Fluent English

 

Selection process

After passing the eligibility check, the applications will be evaluated by the two project promoters in order to prepare a shortlist of candidates. This assessment will be based on motivation, the match between the scientific/technical background and the requirements of the PhD project. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by Teams or by telephone and will be invited to visit the laboratory. 

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

UCLouvain / Institute for Experimental and Clinical Research

Country

Belgium

State/Province

- Select State/Region -

City

Brussels

Postal Code

1200

Street

avenue Emmanuel Mounier 52,

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

- Select State/Region -

City

Brussels

Website

https://uclouvain.be/fr/index.html
https://uclouvain.be/fr/instituts-recherche/irec

Street

avenue Emmanuel Mounier 52, Box B1.52.01

Postal Code

1200

E-Mail

[email protected]

Phone

+32 2 764 52 73
+32 10 479172

STATUS: EXPIRED