POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN ANTI-TUMOR IMMUNOTHERAPY

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Location: INSERM U932, Institut Curie, Paris, France
Date posted: JULY 2021
Application deadline: SEPTEMBER 2021

Job description summary
The research group of Dr Philippe Benaroch (http://ow.ly/WjoV50yVbOQ) is seeking a PhD-qualified scientist. The candidate will join the ongoing project which aims at further developing a human adoptive cell therapy platform to treat solid tumors based on genetic engineering of primary myeloid cells. The candidate will be in charge of designing and performing preclinical in vivo experiments with immunodeficient mice carrying human tumors.


Context
The Benaroch’s team is part of a 130-person Immunology department (Inserm U932, Paris, France) headed by Dr Anna-Maria Lennon at Institut Curie. The team is focused on myeloid cells that represent a very ancient form of cellular immunity against pathogens and tumor cells. They are very plastic, endowed with an ever-growing list of functions in innate and adaptive immunity. How myeloid cells crosstalk with viruses and tumor cells, and how this interplay is regulated remain to be established at the molecular level and represent the focus of his lab. The team offers the opportunity to expand and develop your career in the exciting professional environment of Institut Curie promoted by an open culture and a spirit of community. Institut Curie is one of the largest European institutions for cancer and biomedical research with strong interdisciplinary traditions. It is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities (imaging, proteomic, animal facility, genomic and cytometry platforms).


Project
Solid cancers are shaped by a complex tumor microenvironment (TME) that critically impacts their growth and metastatic potential, as well as their response to therapies. Myeloid cells shape the TME and are major players in immune resistance and/or evasion mechanisms. Myeloid cells have a great capacity to phagocytose dead and even living cells, including tumor cells. This activity is coupled to their antigen presentation function which can stimulate the adaptive immune response. Harnessing their plasticity and functional properties, we aim to use myeloid cells as anti-tumor therapeutic agents following their genetic engineering. This should stimulate the anti-tumor response and counteract the immunosuppressive activity of myeloid cells in the TME. By combining state-of-the-art
technologies in molecular biology and cell biology with in vivo experimental approaches, we plan to reinforce our preliminary results and develop optimized myeloid cells as anti-cancer adoptive cell therapy.

Profile
Qualification:
• PhD in Immunology, experience with mouse models (i.v tail injections, harvesting lymphoid organs, training in animal experimentation) and with multicolor FACS analyses
• Some knowledge in cancer biology and cell biology is not mandatory but will be highly appreciated

Desirable Knowledge, skills and abilities:
• Scientific rigor and excellent analytical and synthetic capabilities
• Team spirit, and dynamic personality with passion for innovation and problem-solving
18 months already funded with possible extension.
Please send CV and two letters of reference to maude.delost@curie.fr AND TO philippe.benaroch@curie.fr