EXTENDED DEADLINE

The Faculty of Pharmacy-Veterinary and Biomedical sciences is seeking to fill the following full-time (100%) vacancy in the Department of Biomedical Sciences

Doctoral student

in the area of MRI of neuroplasticity in the songbird

Job description

·          You prepare a doctoral thesis in the field of Biomedical Sciences;

·          You contribute to research on neuroplasticity using in vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain at the Bio-Imaging Lab ( http://bioimaginglab.ua.ac.be ).

·          You will participate in an FWO funded project called: ‘Unraveling the interaction between testosterone and thyroid hormones and their impact on seasonal changes in the songbird brain’

Profile and requirements

·          You hold a master degree in biomedical sciences or, biochemistry, biotechnology,  biology or alike.

·          You can submit outstanding academic results;

·          Also students in the final year of their degree can apply;

·          Your academic qualities comply with the requirements stipulated in the university’s policy ( http://www.ua.ac.be/research );

·          You are quality-oriented, conscientious, creative, communicative, team player  and prepared to give the best of yourself .

·          You are fluent in English (spoken and written language).

·          Any experience in MRI or neuroendocrinology is an advantage.

We offer

·          A doctoral scholarship for a period of one year, with the possibility of renewal for a further three-year period after positive evaluation;

·          The start date of scholarship will be October 1^st 2013

·          A dynamic and stimulating work environment.

·          The possibility to join a dynamic and expanding group of researchers working on MRI of the brain

Interested?

·          Applications (CV, motivation and two reference letters) have to be submitted to Ilse.Vanhuffel@ua.ac.be before June 30^th

·          For questions about the profile and the description of the project, please contact Prof. Annemie Van der Linden, Tel: + 32 (0)3 265.32.30, email: annemie.vanderlinden@ua.ac.be

The University of Antwerp strives to contribute to an open, democratic and multi-cultural society. We are a family friendly environment and follow an equal-opportunities policy.

T he Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group of the  VIB Department

of  Molecular Genetics at the University of Antwerp is looking for a PhD student

PhD project:

‘ Genetic susceptibility to neurodegenerative brain diseases ’

Project description

Neurodegenerative brain diseases (NBD), like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontal temporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are common and very disabling disorders that mostly occur in elderly people. No cure exists; current treatments are only capable of attenuating symptoms and halting progress for a few years, but patients invariably progress to a severe state of dependency and ultimately death. Because of changing demographics due to increased life expectancy, the prevalence of NBD is increasing rapidly. In the absence of a cure or preventive strategy, the number of dementia patients worldwide e.g. is projected to increase from 35.6 million in 2010 to 115.4 million in 2050. Molecular genetic analysis of NBD plays an important role in elucidating key pathomechanisms; knowledge which in turn can be used to develop diagnostic assays, treatments and preventive strategies. Several highly pathogenic mutations and more common genetic risk factors are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of NBD, but together these only explain a fraction of the occurrence of the disease.

We apply an integrated approach of genetics, genomics, neuropathology and molecular cell biology to explore novel genetic susceptibility factors for NBD. We will not only focus on the traditional common single nucleotide polymorphisms in (genome-wide) genetic association analyses, but also on rare variants of intermediate or high risk effect discovered in high throughput sequencing experiments. Evidence increases that these types of genetic variation can contribute substantially to the susceptibility of common diseases, but their role in susceptibility to NBD is still largely unexplored. A combination of techniques will be used on large, well-documented homogeneous study populations for which biomaterials (such as DNA, lymphoblast cell lines, serum, plasma, brain tissue) and extensive clinical documentation are available, allowing genotype-phenotype correlation analyses.

The VIB Department of Molecular Genetics, and particularly the Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group, has a long-standing expertise in the molecular genetics of Dementia and related disorders, and has contributed significantly to the current knowledge of the genetic etiology of NBD. The department has a centralized genetic service facility that allows high throughput processing of the samples and data. DNA extraction, establishment of lymphoblast cell lines and computational analyses are also centralized.

Context

The VIB Department of Molecular Genetics is one of 8 research departments of VIB ( http://www.vib.be/VIB/EN/ ). With near 100 researchers working in 4 research groups, the department aims to understand the complex nature of neurological and psychiatric human diseases ( http://www.molgen.ua.ac.be/ ). The department disposes over the expertise of centralized service facilities like the Genetic Service Facility and the Diagnostic Service Facility, as well as central units with expert knowledge in functional genomics, technology development and bio-informatics.

The VIB Department of Molecular Genetics is located at the University of Antwerp ( http://www.ua.ac.be/ ), and is affiliated with the Institute Born-Bunge, a research institute with a track record in clinical neurological and pathological research into CNS and PNS diseases ( http://www.bornbunge.be/Home/index_nl.shtml ), and to the faculty department of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinarian Sciences.

Candidate profile

• Motivated students of all nationalities with a strong commitment to basic and/or clinical research.
• Holder of a MSc in medical or biomedical sciences, biochemistry, biotechnology or biology.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written language).
• Any experience in genetics, genomics or molecular cell biology is an advantage.
• The candidate should have well-developed social skills directed to working in a team.

Application

If you are interested in this position, mail a letter of interest, curriculum vitae (including a list of publications) and the names of 2-3 reference persons to phd@molgen.vib-ua.be .

The Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group in the VIB Department of

Molecular Genetics at the University of Antwerp is looking for a PhD student

Using modern molecular genetics and genomics approaches, the PhD student will further identify rare and low frequency though high penetrant variants as well as and common, low penetrant variants in novel causal or risk genes to uncover molecular pathways contributing to disease etiology. The successful candidate will apply for a personal PhD fellowship and will acquire his/her own research expertise in a dynamic research environment.

The VIB Department of Molecular Genetics is located at the University of Antwerp ( http://www.ua.ac.be ), and is affiliated with the Institute Born ‐Bunge, a research institute with a track record in clinical neurological and pathological research into CNS and PNS diseases (http://www.bornbunge.be/Home/index_nl.shtml), and the faculty department of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinarian Sciences.

Candidate profile:

The VIB Department of

 Molecular Genetics at the University of Antwerp is looking for a PhD student

                                                     PhD project: ‘Genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease’

Project description:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common and very disabling dementia disorder that mostly occurs in elderly people, affecting memory, behavior and other areas of cognition such as communicative skills. No cure exists; current treatments are only capable of attenuating symptoms and halting progress for a few years, but patients invariably progress to a severe state of dependency and ultimately death. Because of changing demographics due to increased life expectancy, the prevalence of AD is increasing rapidly. In the absence of a cure or preventive strategy, the number of dementia patients worldwide is projected to increase from 35.6 million in 2010 to 115.4 million in 2050. Molecular genetic analysis of AD plays an important role in elucidating key pathomechanisms; knowledge which in turn can be used to develop diagnostic assays, treatments and preventive strategies. Several highly pathogenic mutations and more common genetic risk factors are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of AD, but together these only explain a fraction of the occurrence of the disease.

In this project, we will explore other genetic susceptibility factors for AD. We will not only focus on the traditional common single nucleotide polymorphisms in (genome-wide) genetic association analyses, but also on rare variants of intermediate risk effect discovered in high throughput sequencing experiments, and on copy number variations, both common and rare. Evidence increases that these types of genetic variation can contribute substantially to the susceptibility of common diseases, but their role in susceptibility to AD is still largely unexplored. A combination of techniques from molecular genetics and genetic epidemiology will be used on a large, well-documented homogeneous study population for which biomaterials (such as DNA, lymphoblast cell lines, serum, plasma, brain tissue) and extensive clinical documentation are available, allowing genotype-phenotype correlation analyses.

A specific focus of this project will be to further unravel the genetic etiology of the early-onset form of AD, that has its onset already in midlife and is severely disruptive for patients and their families. Early-onset AD has a strong genetic component. For mapping of novel monogenic causes, rare variants of intermediate risk and disease modifiers, family-based studies will be used. In population-based studies, we will search for recessive mutations, and rare and common risk factors.

The VIB Department of Molecular Genetics, and particularly the Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group, has a long-standing expertise in the molecular genetics of AD, and has contributed significantly to the current knowledge of the genetic etiology of AD. The department has a centralized genetic service facility that allows high throughput processing of the samples and data. DNA extraction, establishment of lymphoblast cell lines and computational analyses are also centralized.

Context:

The VIB Department of Molecular Genetics is one of 8 research departments of VIB ( http://www.vib.be/VIB/EN/ ). With near 100 researchers working in 4 research groups, the department aims to understand the complex nature of neurological and psychiatric human diseases ( http://www.molgen.ua.ac.be/ ). The department disposes over the expertise of centralized service facilities like the Genetic Service Facility and the Diagnostic Service Facility, as well as central units with expert knowledge in functional genomics, technology development and bio-informatics.

The VIB Department of Molecular Genetics is located at the University of Antwerp ( http://www.ua.ac.be/ ), and is affiliated with the Institute Born-Bunge, a research institute with a track record in clinical neurological and pathological research into CNS and PNS diseases ( http://www.bornbunge.be/Home/index_nl.shtml ), and to the faculty department of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinarian Sciences.

Candidate profile:

• Motivated students of all nationalities with a strong commitment to basic and/or clinical research.
• Holder of a MSc in medical or biomedical sciences. Candidates with a master degree in biosciences (biochemistry, biotechnology, biology) might also be considered if expertise in a life science discipline can be demonstrated.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written language).
• Any experience in genetics, genomics or molecular cell biology is an advantage.
• The candidate should have well-developed social skills directed to working in a team.

Application:

• If you are interested in this position, mail a letter of interest, curriculum vitae (including a list of publications) and the names of 2-3 reference persons to phd@molgen.vib-ua.be.