POSTDOCTORAL POSITION TO DEVELOP ORGAN SPECIFIC VASCULAR SPHEROIDS

A position is available for a strongly motivated postdoc in the Centre for Molecular and Vascular Biology in the Cardiovascular Sciences department at KU Leuven, Belgium. The current project is part of a larger collaboration with Heidi Declercq (@TissueEngKulak), who is a specialist in tissue engineering.

Project
The most critical challenge in complex tissue engineering is the integration of an organ-specific hierarchical vascular network. Spheroids are composed of endothelial and/or mural cells (pericytes, smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts) allowing the engineering of micro- and macrovasculature embedded in a tissue-specific environment. In this project, we will explore the role of organ-specific cell types in the development of spheroids, as well as using cell-cell adhesive properties to control self-organisation.
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Responsibilities

• You will make spheroids using different cell sources and use immunohistochemistry and imaging to assess vascular network characteristics in the spheroids.
• You will use siRNA and possible viral vectors to tritrate expression of adhesion proteins to study the effect of adhesion in the vascular structures that are formed.
• You will be responsible for administration and execution of the project. Strong molecular biology and cell culture skills are beneficial. A background in tissue engineering and/or biomechanics is an asset but you can also learn this within the group.
• You will be expected to present the work at conferences, lab meeting, and departmental meetings.
• You will meet monthly with Prof. Declercq and other project members to keep everyone informed of your progress.

Profile

• The candidate must have a PhD in a relevant discipline (Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical engineering).
• Candidates must have experience in cell culture. Experience in spheroids or tissue engineering is a benefit. 
• Strong interest in pursuing a career in research.
• A good publication record, with at least one paper in a good journal.
• The candidate must be a highly motivated, enthusiastic and efficient researcher.

Offer

Interested?

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