PhD position: T cell interactions across the body during central nervous system autoimmunity (m/f/d)
Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH
Location
Mainz | Germany
Job description
Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented, young scientists the chance to work on cutting edge research projects within the open call on “Molecular Biomedicine & Ageing” . As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.
Aufgaben:
The research group of Ari Waisman offers the following PhD project:
The focus of this project is on the role of APCs in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model for the human autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) multiple sclerosis (MS). In EAE, dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role as they present a self-antigen to naive T cells and thereby prime them. The primed CD4+ T cells migrate to the CNS where they cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) and cause a demyelination of neurons and a disturbance of oligodendrocytes. In order to cross the BBB, the T cells must be reactivated. It is currently unknown which kind of APCs are involved in this process. A specific cell population we are interested in are the endothelial cells of the blood brain barrier (BBB). It was shown before that these cells are capable of expressing MHCII and therefore could play a role in the reactivation of T cells.
PhD project: Analysis of antigen-presenting cells interaction with T cells across the body during central nervous system autoimmunity In the frame of this project, we will use a novel mouse system called “LIPSTIC” which can be used to label immune cell interactions. It was generated at the Rockefeller University In New York City and it will allow us to label and analyze in an unbiased manner all APCs in the CNS that are involved in the interaction with CD4+ T cells. It is based on the interaction between CD40, expressed by APCs, and CD40-ligand, expressed by T cells. When two cells interact with each other, a substrate is transferred from the T cell to the APCs which labels them and allows for visualization using flow cytometry.
The proposed project will make use of sophisticated mouse genetic systems, single cell sequencing and high dimensional flow cytometry as well as multiple cellular and molecular methods used in the lab.
If you are interested in this project, please select
Waisman your group preference in the IPP application platform.
Qualifikationsprofil:
Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of research while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then joining the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!
All you need is:
- Master or equivalent
- Interactive personality & good command of English
- 2 letters of reference
Benefits:
- Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a lively international environment, with English as our working language
- Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
- Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
- Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
- A lively community of more than 200 PhD students from 44 different countries
For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit .
The deadline for applications is 17 April 2024. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 1-3 July 2024.
Starting date: 1 August 2024 - 1 January 2025
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