The Department of Nephrology Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc) invites PhD candidates to its research positions; ‘Treating kidney disease by targeting a novel pathway that protects the kidney filter from injury‘.
Kidney diseases impact millions of people worldwide and can result in progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD), eventually necessitating renal replacement therapy through dialysis or kidney transplantation.
The glomerular filtration barrier (GFB) is a crucial part of the nephron, which is the functional unit of the kidney. GFB injury is a general characteristic of several kidney diseases and, if persistent, ultimately leads to loss of nephrons and kidney failure. Novel therapies to treat GFB injury or the ensuing progressive CKD have not emerged during the last decades. Thus, there is an unmet need for novel treatment targets in GFB injury, which can be translated into clinically applicable therapies in the short term.
It is increasingly recognized that paracrine signaling between glomerular endothelial cells (GEnCs) and glomerular visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) is crucial to GFB integrity. We recently showed that nitric oxide (NO) produced by GEnCs can activate a podocyte signaling pathway crucial to maintain podocyte viability.
Furthermore, GFB injury is associated with NO deficiency. This pathway can be therapeutically targeted by repurposing the class of sGC stimulator/activator drugs, mimicking the effect of NO on the podocyte.
Duration: 4 years
Vacancies
Successful applicants will perform the following task:
- Contribute to scientific publications and present findings at scientific meetings.
- Plan, perform, analyze, and discuss experiments.
- Work together in a team in a stimulating environment.
- Complete your project with a PhD thesis.
Salary
min € 2495 – max € 3196 gross per month.
Job Requirements
To eligible for this position, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Master in Molecular Life Sciences, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or similar.
- Experience in cell culture, molecular, and cell biological techniques.
- Affinity and/or experience in performing animal experiments.
- Competencies, enthusiasm, humor, high working standards, independent, team player, well-structured, communicative, reliable, ambitious.
Application Process
Interested applicants for these positions are to send letters of application outlining their specific interest in the position and a curriculum vitae including two references.
To apply, click here
Application Deadline: December 11, 2020.
For more information, visit the official site.
