2 postdoctoral positions and 2 graduate student positions at the University of Oulu
14.6.2019Two postdoctoral positions (application and more information in the link):
https://rekry.saima.fi/certiahome/open_job_view.html?did=5600&jc=1&id=00007562&lang=en
Two open postdoctoral researcher positions are available in the field of molecular cancer cell biology, systems genetics and functional genomics in the research groups led by Drs Aki Manninen (www.oulu.fi/biocenter/groups/manninen) and Gonghong Wei (www.oulu.fi/biocenter/groups/wei) at the Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine (FBMM), Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. We are looking for ambitious, highly motivated candidates who have enthusiasm and ability to work hard both independently and as a team member to tackle challenging problems to achieve common goals. The positions are funded for 3 years.
This project aims at characterizing integrin-associated molecular machineries driving cancer-promoting effects in prostate cancer cells focusing on the crosstalk between hemidesmosomes and focal adhesions. Transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of integrins, as well as crosstalk between integrin signaling, androgen receptor pathway and other relevant prostate cancer associated pathways will be investigated. Genomic analysis will focus on systems identification of causal genetic variants, causative genes and relevant pathways as well as their functional and biological effects on prostate cancer susceptibility, initiation and progression.
The project utilizes 3D cell culture models where, in addition to established prostate cancer cell lines, we develop novel study systems based on prostate cancer patient-derived prostate organoids. The candidates will also employ advanced microscopy techniques, virus-based genomic engineering, CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing and state-of-art cancer genetics and functional genomics approaches. Further reading: Myllymäki et al., (2019), MCP, doi: 10.1074/mcp.RA118.001095.; Gao et al., (2018), Cell, 174:576-589.; Huang et al., (2014), Nat Genet. 46:126-135.; Zhang, K. et al. (2017) Oncogene, doi: 10.1038/onc.2017.177.
Two PhD-student positions (application and more information in the link):
https://rekry.saima.fi/certiahome/open_job_view.html?did=5600&jc=1&id=00007583&lang=en
Applications are invited for two full-time doctoral student positions for a maximum of four years, starting at the earliest on 01.01.2020 in a Biocenter Oulu research project headed by Professors Gonghong Wei and Aki Manninen in the cancer genomics research unit, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.
Our work aims to discover the roles of novel transcription factors and epigenetic regulators in cancer predisposition and progression, and to explore how these proteins misregulate genome-wide gene expression in particular during prostate cancer development. We also focus on the identification of causal genetic variants, genes and relevant pathways as well as their functional and biological effects on prostate cancer susceptibility, initiation and progression.
The positions will be supervised by Professors Gonghong Wei and Aki Manninen and are focused on mapping genome-wide binding sites (cistrome) for novel transcriptional regulators in prostate cancer cells and tissues. We will further investigate the cistrome-enriched prostate cancer risk-associated variants and thus integrate the eQTL, epigenome and three-dimensional (3D) genome data to unravel the biological roles of causal variants and genes. Functional validation of selected genetic variants, target genes and other relevant risk factors will be performed using genetically engineered prostate cancer models. The projects utilize 3D cell culture models, potential patient-derived prostate organoids/xenografts, mouse models, advanced microscopy techniques, viral gene transfer-based genomic engineering, and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing as well as other molecular cell biology methods and functional genetics/genomics approaches.