Postdoctoral researcher

at  Universit du Luxembourg

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character.
The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) is an interdisciplinary research centre of the University of Luxembourg.
We conduct fundamental and translational research in the field of Systems Biology and Biomedicine – in the lab, in the clinic and in silico. We focus on neurodegenerative processes and are especially interested in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and their contributing factors. The LCSB recruits talented scientists from various disciplines: computer scientists, mathematicians, biologists, chemists, engineers, physicists and clinicians from more than 50 countries currently work at the LCSB. We excel because we are truly interdisciplinary, and together we contribute to science and society.

YOUR PROFILE

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:

Essential experience and skills

• You have a PhD in Neurosciences, Cell Biology or related fields
• You are highly experienced in working with cell-based models and you master the main cellular/molecular biology and biochemistry techniques
• You have a proven ability to conduct research independently and to reach the project objectives (at least one publication as first author in peer-reviewed international journals)
• You have proficient communication and organizational skills, and ability to work in team
• You have an excellent knowledge of written and spoken English

Desirable experience and skills

• Experience in stem cell-based (especially iPSC-derived neurons) models is considered to be an advantage
• Ability to conceive innovative research proposals and experience with the writing of scientific reports, publications, and grants

We are offering a 21-month postdoc position in the form of a full-time employment at the University of Luxembourg, funded by the FNR (”TRANSCEND-PD” BRIDGES proposal to Prof. KRÜGER) and in close collaboration with the R&D pharmaceutical company Accure Therapeutics (Barcelona, Spain), for the development of a new drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The project aims at understanding the cellular and molecular alterations underlying PD pathogenesis. Here we propose an innovative pharmacological approach based on ACT-02, a small molecule that inhibits the activity of Prolyl Endopeptidase (PREP) enzyme. This protein has been previously linked to PD being implicated in the appearance of typical disease-related alterations, such as organelles malfunctioning (mitochondria, lysosomes) and accumulation of alpha-synuclein (a cardinal hallmark of PD). In this project we will first test the efficacy of ACT-02 in iPSC-derived neuronal models from PD patients carrying distinct genetic forms of PD (i.e., PINK1, SNCA and GBA1), and then validate relevant findings in the corresponding PD mouse models (in collaboration with international partners). We are confident that this experimental approach will help dissecting the contribution of PREP to PD pathogenesis and allow to identify PD patient subgroups potentially eligible for future ACT-02 clinical trials.
The candidate will be involved in extensive experimental work, including cellular (neuronal differentiation, drug treatment) and molecular/functional analyses (assessment of mitochondrial and lysosomal function, investigation of intracellular signaling pathways, evaluation of dopaminergic neurons activity and viability).