Location: | London |
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Salary: | From £41,935 with benefits, subject to skills and experience |
Hours: | Full Time |
Contract Type: | Fixed-Term/Contract |
Placed On: | 5th March 2024 |
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Expires: | 4th May 2024 |
Job Ref: | R1014 |
Location: The Francis Crick Institute, Midland Road, London
Short summary
The Research Group
Our lab studies how neutrophils tune their effector mechanisms such as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to clear invading pathogens. We dissect the mechanisms that regulate these effector strategies and investigate how their dysregulation promotes inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and colitis.
We have identified a basic mechanism of NET formation that is implicated in anti-fungal defence but also promotes atherosclerosis. We have also uncovered pathways that allow neutrophils to distinguish between different pathogens such as bacteria and fungi and tune NETosis and inflammation for efficient pathogen clearance.
The Project
Over the years, we have developed a strong interest in the role of NETs in cardiovascular diseases. NET are key drivers of atherogenesis1, but the events that promote the pre-clinical stages of cardiovascular disease are still poorly understood.
Defects in NET degradation are associated with autoimmunity and hight rates of mortality during severe infection such as sepsis and COVID-19 pneumonia2. In addition, NET degradation deficiencies can manifest in healthy young individuals who later in life exhibit an increased risk for cardiovascular disease2.
The project will identify mechanisms that interfere with NET clearance and investigate their role in CVD development using mouse models and human samples. This ambitious project will involve significant biochemical work, complex cellular assays, mouse models of atherosclerosis and analysis of human samples. We are therefore seeking a highly motivated post doc fellow with expertise in the field of inflammation, biochemistry and mouse immunology and an established track record.
Post-doctoral fellows can also develop their own projects by pursuing questions stemming from ongoing work or towards completely new directions. Other areas we are currently investigating are mechanisms of neutrophils heterogeneity communication in anti-fungal immunity and disease.
About us
The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.
An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL (University College London), Imperial College London and King’s College London.
The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under in one building in Europe.
The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.
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