PhD scholarship in advanced antibody discovery technologies - DTU Bioengineering

Join our team as a PhD student in the exciting field of antibody technologies! We are seeking a candidate to join us from June 1st, 2023 (or soon thereafter) for a 3-year position in our extraordinarily ambitious antibody development project. Our aim is to develop a fully recombinant antivenom against snakebite for sub-Saharan Africa.

The Center for Antibody Technologies
The Center for Antibody Technologies is committed to making a difference in the world by tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases. Each year, 150,000 people lose their lives to snakebite envenoming, while another 400,000 are left with life-changing injuries. Existing treatments based on polyclonal antibodies derived from the blood of immunized animals are scarce and have a number of drawbacks, including high cost and a propensity to elicit adverse reactions due to their immunogenic disposition. Therefore, scientific and technological advancement is highly warranted and may enable the introduction of improved therapies for snakebite victims living in impoverished rural areas worldwide!

At the Center for Antibody Technologies, we are championing the development of recombinant antivenoms based on mixtures of carefully selected human monoclonal antibodies and nanobodies with the purpose of bringing efficacious, safe, and affordable next-generation snakebite therapeutics to life. To pursue this goal, we utilize advanced antibody discovery technologies for designing antibodies and nanobodies with special binding properties, such as being broadly-neutralizing, being directed to distinct anatomic sites, and/or being possible to administer at exceptionally low dose.

The center is headed by Professor Andreas Hougaard Laustsen-Kiel and is a part of the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Technical University of Denmark. At our center, we are a group of high performing young scientists that share the vision that science is supposed to benefit humankind, especially underprivileged societies and/or societal groups. This shared vision with a very international outreach has created an academic environment that is ambitious and innovative fueled by an exceptionally collegially supportive attitude to both people and their work. We welcome people with all types of backgrounds and strive for diversity. Our research group is highly active in numerous outreach activities and our international travel agendas are typically busy. Finally, group members typically have an entrepreneurial attitude, resulting in the establishment of a number of spin-out biotech companies by group members.

See more: www.tropicalpharmacology.com  

Responsibilities and qualifications
The project is funded by Wellcome and aims to deliver tangible human health impact through the development of novel snakebite therapeutics. The role of the candidate will primarily be to perform experiments in the laboratory, data analysis, and scientific publication, as well as take 30 ECTS points of relevant PhD courses as required in Danish PhD programs.

The candidate will be part of a team of one senior scientist, three postdoctoral scientists, and two laboratory technicians working on toxin biochemistry, antibody, and nanobody discovery, and biophysical characterization of antibodies with the purpose of developing a recombinant oligoclonal antibody cocktail that can neutralize the venoms of the medically most important snakes of sub-Saharan Africa. The project will thus be highly collaborative, and the candidates should have a teamwork spirit, be naturally pro-active, have a hands-on attitude, and be interested in collaborating with their peers.

At the Center for Antibody Technologies, we have an exceptionally collaborative spirit and host many talented students and guest researchers from abroad. Therefore, the candidate should have coaching skills and enjoy collaborating with younger scientists who may be recruited to support the project, as well as collaborating with our many international collaborators from countries such as Norway, Sweden, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Australia. This may involve an opportunity for the candidate to spend time in some of the labs of our overseas collaborators, as the candidate is expected to have a secondment for about 6 months at one of our collaborating labs.

The candidates should preferably have an entrepreneurial spirit and be interested in facilitating the transition of scientific discoveries into inventions and innovations that can be brought to life in society – possibly via the establishment of spin-off companies from the research group.

Finally, depending on the interests of the candidate, the position may involve outreach activities, such as the publication of popular science articles and/or popular science presentations at larger public events.

The candidate will take part in constructing a human phage display antibody library, conduct discovery campaigns using phage display selection against snake toxins from different protein families to find cross-reactive scFvs and nanobodies, and help to set up and implement NGS, such as Nanopore sequencing, for antibody discovery. The project may also include the conversion of scFv and nanobodies to different formats and expression of these in mammalian cells followed by potential studies of pharmacokinetics in vivo.

Applicants should hold a 2-year M.Sc. degree (120 ECTS) in a relevant life sciences discipline, have excellent communication skills in English, and be trained in antibody discovery techniques, protein biochemistry, protein engineering, and molecular/synthetic biology. In our research groups, we highly value collaboration, and it will be expected that the candidate can demonstrate a track record of successful collaboration with his/her peers.

It is expected that the applicant has hands-on experience with several of the following techniques:

• Antibody/nanobody discovery
• Phage display technology
• ELISA, Time-Resolved Fluorescence Assay, DELFIA
• Assay development
• Molecular biology (e.g., cloning, PCR, sequencing etc.)
• Recombinant protein expression and purification in bacteria, yeast and/or mammalian cells
• RP-HPLC and/or ÄKTA
• Surface Plasmon Resonance and/or Bio-layer Interferometry
• Toxin isolation and purification
• Bioinformatics

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education .

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by Professor Andreas Hougaard Laustsen-Kiel and Senior Scientist Anne Ljungars.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information
Additional information may be obtained from Prof. Andreas Hougard Laustsen-Kiel, [email protected]

You can read more about DTU Bioengineering at www.bioengineering.dtu.dk  

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 16 March 2023 (Danish time).

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• List of publications
• Names and contact details of 2 academic referees

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

The Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering) is an international leader in the areas of biotechnology and biomedicine. Our engineering approach to all aspects of biotechnology and biomedicine positions us as a valuable player with unique competences in a growing bio-based economy and with health systems transforming towards personalized medicine. We have a clear focus on the needs in the life science industry and point towards innovation, new businesses, and scientific services for the benefit of society. The department has extensive collaborations with national and international research units and industry. DTU Bioengineering has approx. 400 employees, of which 2/3 are scientific staff. The department is located at DTU Lyngby Campus.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,400 students and 5,800 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.