Research scientist position to study the role of metabolic dialogues in drug resistance of acute myeloid leukemia

City : Toulouse, France​

Corps : Research engineer/Postdoctoral fellow

Remuneration : According to the Inserm index grid and experience

Type of Contract : Fixed term contract (1 year, renewable twice)

Quote : Full time

TITLE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

Despite an improvement in the complete response rate obtained after conventional chemotherapy, overall survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients is still poor due to relapses caused by tumor regrowth initiated by drug resistant leukemic clones. The project aims at elucidating how the metabolic dialogue between the stromal compartment and leukemic blasts can contribute to the onset of drug resistance and to identify metabolic targets to overcome it.

MISSIONS

The scientist will be involved in a highly collaborative project between the RESTORE (« Metabolic interplay and age-associated loss of function ») and CRCT (« Oncometabolism and Drug Resistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia ») teams. Using patient derived xenograft models well handled by the CRCT team headed by Jean-Emmanuel Sarry, the candidate will be highly involved in the establishment of a precise cellular and metabolic mapping of stromal cells and AML blasts, not only in the bone marrow but also in several extramedullary organs.

She/he will also be devoted to unravel the metabolic interactions existing between stromal cells including mesenchymal stromal cells and adipocytes, and blasts, and their role in the development of chemoresistance. Her/his work will be done in close collaboration with students and engineers working on the project, especially the bioinformatic engineer also recruited through the grant.

General responsibilities include design, implement and interpret experiments, both independently and in collaboration, and communicate research and findings in a clear and concise manner. The candidate will present the progress of the project during bi-monthly meetings between the two teams, as well as during national and international conferences.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
  • A PhD degree preferably in biochemistry or cell biology and physiology
  • Expertise in the field of metabolism and stromal cellbiology (in particular adipocytes and mesenchymal stromal cells) will be highly prioritized
  • Hands–on experience on in vivo(mice) experiments, confocal imaging, multi–color flow cytometry, oxygraphyand cell culture of mammalian primary cells
  • Experience in the interpretation of mass spectrometry data obtained from metabolomics and isotope (13C–metabolites) tracing experiments is an asset
  • Knowledge in histology, quantitative PCR, and general lab protocols and methodologies used in the biological sciences
  • Computational expertiseincluding experience with image analysis, FlowJo, Prism, and Excel. Mastery of R and Python would be a plus
  • High levels of initiative, autonomy and the ability to assumea high level of responsibility
  • Strong interpersonal and mentoring skills needed to effectively deal with students andpeople of the two collaborating groupsGood levelin Englishis requiredas members of the teams are native English speakers
EMPLOYMENT

Starting on June2021, the job position is funded for 12months renewabletwice. The application should include:

  • Letter of motivation with a short description of the applicant’s previous research and why the applicant considers her/himself a good match for the position (1-2 pages).
  • Curriculum vitae, including a description of relevant skills and experiences, aswell as a full publication list.
  • Copy of PhD diploma.
  • Names, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers to 2-3 references.

CONTACT

Application should be sent to Audrey Carrière and Isabelle Ader before April 30th, 2021.

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