Postdoc In Mechanobiology

29 Oct 2023

Job Information

Organisation/Company

Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University of Naples, Italy

Research Field

Engineering

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Italy

Application Deadline

1 Jan 2024 - 23:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

To be defined

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

To be defined

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

ABOUT THE POSITION We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join the Maiuri team at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University of Naples, Italy. Our group studies how cells sense and react to mechano-chemical stimuli coming from the surrounding micro-environment. Particularly, we are interested to investigate how those stimuli impact on the cell nucleus.

ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS

Nuclear Volume Cell and nuclear volumes are related and they constantly grow during the cell cycle. Since alterations of nuclear shape and size are well recognized hallmarks of cancer, we are interested in develop a method to measure the nuclear volume. Such method would allow us to study the nucleus-to-cell volume ratio in homeostasis, investigating not only its variation during the cell cycle but also how it is perturbed upon tumor transformation. Different techniques have been proposed to quantify the cell volume, with a variety of accuracy and sensitivity. However, none of them is able to measure simultaneously cell and nuclear volumes of individual cells in real-time https: // www. biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.07.494975v1.

The intrinsic shape of the nucleus While the nuclei of most cells tend to be either round or oval, various diseases are associated with alterations in the shape of the cell nucleus. An abnormal nuclear shape and size is associated with cancer, in fact, it is one of the key diagnostic tools used in identifying malignant cells. Moreover, mutations in genes encoding lamins, one of the major structural components of the nucleoskeleton, are leading to a variety of disorders, including muscular dystrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy and progeria, and show cells with characteristic perturbation of the nuclear shape. Yet, the basic mechanisms linking cell and nuclear shape, and which is the intrinsic shape of the nucleus, are still unclear. https: // www. nature.com/articles/s41467-023-37064-0; https: // www. nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15910-9

TYPE OF CONTRACT Two years postdoctoral research fellowship (~30000€/y).

REQUIRED SKILLS PhD or equivalent degree in either Biotechnology, Bioengineering or other related fields. Proficiency in basic cell biology and imaging. Experience in molecular biology and/or in microfabrication, would be considered a plus.

Requirements Additional Information Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University of Naples, Italy

Country

Italy

Where to apply

Website

https: // jobrxiv.org/job/department-of-molecular-medicine-and-medical- biotechnol…

Contact

Website

https:// www. unina.it/home

STATUS: EXPIRED