Position for one Postdoctoral fellow is immediately available in the laboratory of Dr. Luigi Nezi at European Institute of Oncology in Milan (Italy).
Our Lab aims to develop innovative approaches in cancer prevention and therapy by studying the microbiome. We have reported causality between diversity and composition of the gut microbiome at baseline and therapeutic outcome in patients of melanoma who were treated with immunotherapy (Science 2018). On the other hand, we showed that compositional peculiarities of the tumor microenvironment drive infiltrating T cells into a metabolic dysfunctional state (J Ex Med 2020) and that metabolic rewiring can be exploited to enhance T cell antitumor activity (Cell Metab 2023). Recently, we have characterized how these factors interact in the context of colorectal cancer and their links with prognosis (Nat Comm 2022, Genome Med 2023), providing new opportunities for diagnostic and therapeutic development. In the proposed project we will integrate metagenomic and metabolomic datasets with immunological, functional and clinical data to decode the interplay between the microbiome and the host’s immune system during progression and response to therapy of gastric tumors. The candidate will be involved in innovative translational studies and actively interact with worldwide-recognized experts on microbiome, tumor immunology and clinical oncologists.
As part of your project you will:
1. Analyze patient-derived samples using established protocols for the molecular, metagenomic and immunological characterization;
2. Develop novel analysis to dissect the role of microbes and metabolites on the anti-tumor response in in gastric cancer;
3. Interact with a team of molecular biologists, bioangineers, oncologists and computational biologists to validate findings in vitro and in vivo on pre-clinical models, to implement diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.
Overall, the results of this study will better inform the design of novel strategies for cancer prevention and treatment.
Skills covered in this project:
-
Metagenomic (16S sequencing and whole genome “shotgun”) sequencing
-
Transcriptomic analysis
-
Multiparametric analysis of immunological data
-
Establishment of patient-derived gastric cancer models
-
Imaging analysis
-
Use of in vivo pre-clinical models
The candidate should hold a PhD degree in Biology, Medical Science or similar discipline with an oncology and immunology focus. She/He should have experience in processing human and/or mouse samples and characterize them using imaging, sequencing and immunophenotyping approaches. Solid cell culture and molecular biology expertise is required. The researcher should have experience in working with cancer omics data. Basic programming skills and experience in working with pre-clinical mouse models would be a plus. Scientific understanding of general research questions in molecular and cancer biology is required. Competitive salary.
Key words
Gastric Cancer, Microbiome, Anti-tumor immunity, Metastasis, Metabolomics, Transcriptomics.
Posted on 6th July 2023