Description of the project:
Control of tumor growth by immunotherapy is hindered by a number of obstacles including the ability of tumors to foster a tolerant microenvironment and the activation of various immunosuppressive mechanisms that may act in concert to counteract effective immune responses. Our group is particularly interested in bladder carcinoma. Of interest, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) was pioneered in the 1970s as immunotherapy for Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) and is today commonly used as standard therapy for NMIBC treatment.
It is well established that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are crucial in the immune surveillance of several cancer types, including bladder cancer. However, prior studies have mainly focused on conventional alpha/beta T cells, while unconventional gamma/delta T cells remain largely understudied. Gamma/delta T cells have a potent antitumor activity, which led to the development of new gamma/delta T cell-based therapies for different types of cancer. However, the clinical significance of gamma/delta T cells in bladder cancer has not been elucidated yet. We recently showed that gamma/delta T cells may play a significant role in bladder tumor control (Nguyen S. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. 2022). Therefore, the aim of this project is to unveil the intrinsic features of gamma/delta T cells, and thus better understand their role and functions in bladder cancer patients.
Requirements:
– PhD in tumor immunology and strong experience in molecular biology, particularly single-cell RNA sequencing
– Knowledge in bioinformatic analysis is an asset
– High degree of motivation and creativity for new projects
– Excellent analytical, communication and organizational skills
– Capacity to work collaboratively with other group members
– Excellent written and verbal communication skills
– Fluent in English (French is a plus)
The application from interested and motivated candidate should include 1) a cover letter outlining your motivation to work on this project, as well as a short description of your PhD project (2 pages maximum), 2) a detailed CV, 3) at least, one letter of recommendation.
Starting: November 2024
Lab: Urology Research Unit, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
Contact for information and submit your application: [email protected]
