POSITION DETAILS

Department of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149. As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7, salary £38,249.
Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to August 2028
Closing date: 15th June 2025

BACKGROUND

We are seeking an industrious, independent, and ambitious postdoctoral researcher to join a three-year multi-institutional project aimed funded by Versus Arthritis focussed on developing a novel peptide-siRNA conjugate for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA).
OA is a degenerative joint disorder and a leading cause of pain and disability, affecting over 500 million people worldwide. Currently, no approved treatments exist that can halt or reverse disease progression. Existing pain relief options are often ineffective or associated with adverse side effects.
Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have emerged as a promising new class of therapeutics with unique advantages over traditional drugs. Six siRNA-based therapies are already approved for clinical use. However, a major hurdle in applying siRNA therapeutics to OA is the efficient and targeted delivery of siRNAs to joint-resident cells.
To address this, we have identified a cell-surface receptor (referred to here as “receptor X”) that is highly expressed on chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts in inflamed OA joints. Our central hypothesis is that conjugating siRNAs to peptides that bind receptor X will enable targeted delivery of disease-modifying agents directly to affected joint cells.
This project will:
1. Identify optimal siRNA sequences targeting three key genes involved in OA pathogenesis.
2. Develop and optimise peptide-siRNA conjugates for efficient and specific delivery to human OA joint cells.
3. Assess functional outcomes , including gene knockdown efficiency, siRNA stability, off-target effects, and modulation of OA-related biomarkers in human cell and ex vivo tissue models.
4. Evaluate in vivo delivery , knockdown efficacy, and effects on behavioural pain responses using preclinical OA models.
The appointed person will primarily be supervised by Prof Simon W Jones (Department of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham) but will also work closely with colleagues at the University of Bath ( Prof Mark Lindsay, Dr Ian Eggleston ) and University of Nottingham ( Prof Vicky Chapman and Dr Federico Dajas-Bailador ).
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of next-generation therapeutics in a collaborative and innovative research environment.
This position will involve the selection and functional screening of siRNA-peptide conjugates across multiple human, primate and mouse cell lines. We are therefore seeking a highly motivated and organised individual with proven expertise in human tissue processing and cell culture, cellular transfection, RNA expression analysis (qRT-PCR, RNA-seq), FACS analysis, Western blotting, ELISA, and bioinformatics.
A background or interest in osteoarthritis, drug discovery, RNA biology, or therapeutic screening is highly desirable.

ROLE SUMMARY

• To lead the laboratory studies on the research grant at the University of Birmingham which will involve the selection and functional screening of peptide-siRNA conjugates across multiple cells types in humans, primates and mouse
• To engage and work collaboratively with researchers at the University of Bath and the University of Nottingham
• To analyse and interpret research findings and disseminate results
• To contribute to generating research funding.

MAIN DUTIES

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Analyse and interpret data
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.