Research Fellow

Early trials of CAR-T in solid tumours while showing some promise for the therapy often fail to reach the clinical success of those seen in haeamtological malignancies. As such further effort needs to be pot into developing relevant models to assess efficacy and potential downfalls of CAR T cells and find strategies to mitigate these issues.

Additionally, we are developing further immunotherapies against solid tumours including other targets, such as dual-targeting CAR-T and bi-specific T cell engagers, as well as combining with radiotherapy.

A major challenge is preclinically testing these treatments before clinical use to select the safest, most effective therapies. Current in vitro and in vivo solid tumour models for testing CAR T cells specifically are severely limited, some lacking a functional human immune system to properly evaluate toxicity and efficacy and some not recapitulating the disease and TME effectively.

This role will be based in the Roddie laboratory at UCL Cancer Institute. The postholder will further develop and test models of solid and test the efficacy of immunotherapy (CAR T cells) potential alone or in combination with other therapies. The post will involve molecular cloning, lentiviral production, HSC isolation and manipulation, complex analysis using flow cytometry, RNA-seq and other tools. There will a main component of murine work involved in establishing, validating and testing the model. There is a substantial focus on development and testing of new immunotherapies, with a focus on CAR-T in HCC, RCC and Breast Cancer.

The post is for 1 year in the first instance. The starting salary is contingent on the candidate’s previous experience.

Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B, with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

Applications should include a CV and a Cover Letter: In the Cover Letter please evidence the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification part of the Job Description. (By including a Cover Letter, you can leave blank the 'Why you have applied for this role' field in the application form, which is limited in the number of characters it will allow.)

About you

Successful candidates must have a Postdoctoral qualification PhD in related subject with laboratory experience. Immunology or Cancer biology background favoured.

BSc in biomedical sciences or a related subject 2:1 or above is essential.

The successful applicant will be experienced in flow cytometry, including designing high dimensional panels; murine modelling; and have some experience in molecular biology. They should have an interest in and understanding of cancer immunology including CAR-T.

Applicants must have experience in presenting complex scientific concepts and content both in writing and verbally. They will show a strong commitment to the lab mission and embody its values through excellent collaborative interpersonal skills with an ability to work cooperatively in a multidisciplinary setting. Further, excellent communication skills and the ability to work well in a multidisciplinary team and to train juniors are essential.

For rewards and benefits at UCL please visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion

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