Post Doctoral fellow : Study of immune cell infiltration in perfused models of human skin ex vivo (M/W)

Missions

This post-doctoral position is part of our ANR funded research project dedicated to the recruitment of circulating immune cells in human skin. The main function of the skin is to constitute a barrier against external aggressions. Protective mechanisms in the skin depend in part on the presence of tissue-resident immune cells and the recruitment of circulating immune cells from the blood. Genoskin and the LAAS CNRS have developed a perfused ex vivo human skin model using a porous catheter implanted into the tissue. Genoskin has also developed an ex vivo model mimicking the wound healing process. In addition, a blood sample is associated with each sourced skin.
Based on these 3 resources (implantable device, wound healing model and donor’s blood), the objective of the project is to develop an ex vivo human skin model of circulating autologous immune cells recruitment in injured skin close to the clinical situation. The microfluidic platform will also be adaptable to other solid tissues and will allow studying the impact of the recruitment and infiltration of key immune cells in other inflammatory and pathological contexts.

Activities

– Immune cells and tissue culture,
– Adaptation of the microfluidic device to cell experiment
– Optimization and validation of cell culture in the microfluidic device and in the tissue (microscopy, molecular biology, histology),
– Understand how environmental conditions (i.e., biochemical, and mechanical clues) affect cell migration,
– Analysis of the results and preparation of progress reports,
– Writing of research reports and scientific papers.

Skills

We are looking for a dynamic person, with a PhD, who enjoys working in a multidisciplinary team. The ideal candidate for this project should demonstrate solid experience in:
– Immune cell and tissue biology (including bioassays, molecular biology, confocal imaging, in vitro cell immunology techniques, and immunofluorescence techniques).
– Experience in microfluidic and micro-engineering will be an asset.

Work Context

The postdoctoral researcher will be part of the ELiA team of the LAAS-CNRS Laboratory located in Toulouse. The ANR project is in collaboration with Genoskin SAS and the team of N. Gaudenzio at Infinity (INSERM).
The initial duration of 12 months could be extended with another contract with another member of the consortium (already funded, also in Toulouse).