PhD candidate 'Personalized mass spectrometric analysis of antibodies to improve diagnostics for patients with hematological malignancies'

24 May 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc)

Research Field

Physics
Medical sciences

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)
First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

14 Jun 2023 - 22:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

36.0

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

Monoclonal gammopathies (MG) such as multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis are common hematological malignancies that are characterized by monoclonal expansion of plasma cells in the bone marrow. These plasma cells produce monoclonal antibodies (M-proteins) that provide a unique cancer-biomarker. M-protein diagnostics is crucial for diagnosis, risk-stratification and follow-up of MM patients. Current M-protein diagnostics has two important drawbacks:

• It is not sensitive enough to detect Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) and
• It does not measure the pathogenicity of the M-protein.
• To investigate and optimize the clinical applicability of our recently developed MS-MRD blood-test in different MG (suggested reading: Zajec, Langerhorst et al. Clin Chem 2020 PMID 32031591)
• Investigate the molecular mechanisms of M-protein pathogenicity in order to predict and prevent M-protein induced organ damage in patients with MG.

The aim of this PhD project is The research in this 4 year PhD project, will be performed in close collaboration of the Laboratory Medical Immunology and Translational Metabolic Laboratory, hematologists and industrial partners.
Techniques that will be used are state of the art mass spectrometry, de novo sequencing of monoclonal antibodies, protein chemistry and flow cytometry.

Tasks and responsibilities

• You will be responsible for the design, organization and the execution of the experiments.
• You will communicate the results to the supervisors, present data on international meetings, and write scientific papers.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

For this project, we are looking for an ambitious PhD student with strong analytical and communicative skills. This four-year project should culminate in a PhD thesis. We are looking for someone with a master's degree in (Medical) Biology, Molecular Life Sciences, Technical Medicine, Chemistry or related discipline. Experience with immunological- and molecular analyses, mass spectrometry, statistics using large data-sets. Skilled to pick up and perform novel complex technologies.

In addition you possess the profile below:

• An independent and well-structured working style, demanding high quality of your own work.
• Well-developed social skills directed to work in a multidisciplinary team, excellent interpersonal and communicative skills.
• Strong motivation to master novel complex technologies and succeed in scientific research.
• Excellent presentation and scientific writing skills.

Additional Information
Benefits

The salary depends on education. Scale 10 will be offered to MSc medical graduates; those holding degrees in other disciplines will be offered scale 10A.

Working at Radboud university medical center means that you are ahead of the curve and working together on the healthcare of the future. And there is more. Our secondary terms of employment are impressive. These are fully tailored to you thanks to our Employment Conditions Selection Model. At Radboud university medical center, you will be given trust, and you will take the responsibility to handle everything together. We provide annual courses, both professional and personal.

• A gross monthly salary between € 2.789 and € 3.536 (scale 10A) or between € 3.230 and € 5.088 (scale 10) based on full-time employment.
• From 1 November 2023 the wages will increase by 4%.
• An annual vacation allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• If you work irregular hours, you will receive an allowance.
• As a full-time employee (36 hours per week), you are entitled to approximately 168 vacation hours (over 23 days) per year.
• Radboud university medical center pays 70% of the pension premium. You pay the rest of the premium with your gross salary.
• You get a discount on health insurance as well: you can take advantage of two group health insurance plans. UMC Zorgverzekering and CZ collectief.

In addition to our terms of employment , we also offer employees various other attractive facilities, such as childcare and sports facilities. Want to learn more? Take a look at the Cao UMC .

Selection process

Any questions? Please contact Dr. Hans Jacobs , Medical Immunologist and Principle Investigator, via +31 (0)6 57 345 333. Use the Apply button to submit your application.

Additional comments

Any questions? Please contact Dr. Hans Jacobs , Medical Immunologist and Principle Investigator, via +31 (0)6 57 345 333. Use the Apply button to submit your application.

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/328234/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Radboudumc

Country

Netherlands

City

Nijmegen

Postal Code

6525 GA

Street

Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/328234/phd-candidate-personalized-mass-spectro…

Contact

City

Nijmegen

Website

http://www.radboudumc.nl/

Street

Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10

Postal Code

6525 GA

STATUS: EXPIRED