Our research group led by Professor Riitta Lahesmaa is based at Turku Bioscience Centre (the Centre), BioCity Turku, Turku, Finland.  We are seeking for a motivated doctoral researcher to work in a three-year project within the ImmuDocs Doctoral Education Pilot.

Turku Bioscience Centre is a joint research institute of University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University. The mission of the Centre is to promote high quality research and training. The Centre has excellent state-of-the-art technology platforms and expertise in single-cell omics, NGS, epigenomics, proteomics, computational biology and high-end cell imaging and cytometry.

Pilot project description:

Regulatory T cells (Treg) are vital for maintaining immune tolerance and immune homeostasis. Modulating their function has significant therapeutic potential for controlling human autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as well as cancer. In spite of advances in Treg cell biology, the molecular mechanisms of human Treg differentiation and function are incompletely understood.

The Lahesmaa group identifies new ways to control Treg. We have discovered novel factors upregulated in Tregs. This project will study the role of two such factors in regulating Treg differentiation and function. We have already shown they both influence expression of FOXP3, a key transcription factor defining Treg and that one of them is upregulated in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. These along with our other preliminary data demonstrate feasibility and notably highlight these two factors as highly interesting novel regulators of Treg response.

The work is done in Lahesmaa lab at Turku Bioscience Centre with an excellent research infrastructure. The doctoral researcher will study clinical samples from patients with immune mediated diseases and cancer and use a range of cutting-edge methods in molecular and cellular biology, epigenetics and bioinformatics including RNAi/LNA mediated silencing/CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing combined with single-cell RNA-seq, mass cytometry and proteomics. All the methods are optimized in the group as reported (Buchacher et al. 2023 doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113469; Shetty et al. 2022 doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac256; Khan et al. 2022 doi: 10.1016/j.crimmu.2020.02.001; Andrabi et al. 2023 doi: 10.1016/j.imlet.2023.09.001).

The results are expected to provide new insights and basis for developing new strategies for novel targeted therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and cancer.

The PhD training provides the candidate with in-depth understanding of central principles in the control of human immune response – valuable for a career both in industry and academia.

Ideal candidate has:

• High level of motivation, self-initiative and independency
• Excellent team work and communication skills
• Excellent language skills in English (both oral and written)
• First-rate molecular and cell biology knowledge and skills with a strong background in epigenetics and immunology.

Application Period: April 3–22, 2024

Start Date: August 1, 2024

Eligibility: Must not have been granted doctoral study rights before November 1, 2023.

Main supervisor: Riitta Lahesmaa, MD, PhD, Professor of Systems Immunology, Director, Turku Bioscience Centre and InFLAMES Flagship

Other supervisor(s): Tanja Buchacher, PhD, Senior Researcher
https://bioscience.fi/research/molecular-systems-immunology/profile/

Apply here

Post-doctoral position is available in the laboratory of Professor Jukka Westermarck at the Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

Kinase inhibitors have become a mainstay in the cancer therapy, but their long-term efficacy is compromised by adaptive non-genetic drug-tolerance leading to drug resistance. We recently identified an oncogenic phosphatase DUSP6 as a central mediator of therapy tolerance development against HER2 targeted therapies in breast cancer (https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.14.544493). We also identified putative transcriptional regulators of therapy tolerance development, but what is the individual contribution of these transcription factors and can they be targeted in drug tolerant cancer cells is not yet understood. In order to address these biologically and clinically very relevant questions, we are looking for highly motivated post-doctoral fellow to join our dynamic research group broadly focused on phosphoproteome signalling in human cancers (https://bioscience.fi/research/cancer-cell-signaling/profile/). The project is carried out in a close collaboration with strong bioinformatics, drug development, and breast cancer clinical trial teams with a common goal to advance the acquired information to future clinical practice.

Turku Bioscience Centre (TBC), University of Turku, is a top-quality research center harbouring several research groups with distinguished publication profile (https://bioscience.fi). The centre harbours excellent core facilities facilitating use of world-class state-of-art technologies for all aspects of the project (https://bioscience.fi/services). Furthermore, BioCity Turku umbrella organization offers very high-quality research training including frequent seminars by world recognized speakers. Finally, Finland is a country with world´s happiest people and excellent quality of life. 

Candidate requirements:

• PhD (already obtained or very soon-to-be)
• First author publication in a respectable journal
• Competence in independent scientific thinking and project management
• Fluent spoken and written English

Preferrable technical competencies (mutually alternative)

• Advanced gene editing
• Single-cell RNA sequencing
• Mass spectrometry proteomics
• Bioinformatics

For further information or inquiries regarding this post, please contact Jukka Westermarck by e-mail: jukwes@utu.fi. The position will be filled upon identification of a suitable candidate and is available starting immediately thereafter. The selected candidate will receive a monthly personal research grant plus pension and occupational accident insurances. To apply, e-mail to tiina.arsiola@utu.fi one PDF document including your CV and an application letter clearly describing how your profile matches to candidate requirements listed above, and other previous achievements in the field. Also include names and contact information of three references. Indicate following text in the subject line of your e-mail: Post-doc position/Breast cancer 2024

Our selected recent publications:

Momeny et al., bioRxiv, 2023

Pavic et al., Nature Communications, 2023

Vervoort et al., Cell, 2021

Laine et al., Cancer Research, 2021

Mäkelä et al., Clinical Cancer Research, 2021