Job - PhD phenotypic and genotypic features of disseminating tumor cells

Patients with disseminated neuroblastoma have still about 40% survival chance, so new treatment strategies are being investigated. In recent years, the shift of drug development from conventional towards molecular targeted drugs has enabled the design of drugs that inhibit specific tumor factors and spare normal tissues.

In many type adult cancer types, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are being investigated as tumor biomarkers, essentially providing a “liquid” biopsy sample for post treatment monitoring. In Neuroblastoma, the methods that are being used to detect disseminated tumor cells in the BM (DTC-BM) or circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the PB are immunocytology and RQ-PCR. These techniques can quantify the amount of tumor cells present in BM or PB; however they do not give information on molecular and functional characterization of whole tumor cells. So for many tumor types methods to isolate and enrich CTCs have been described. In this project we aim to isolate disseminating tumor cells (DTC) CTC, to study these cells in more detail for their phenotypic and genotypic features. Furthermore studying these cells could also help to study the response to (biological) therapy by analyzing target inhibition and downstream biological changes in the presumed pathway.

This project will be located at Sanquin, department Experimentele Immunohematologie onder supervision of dr. GAM Tytgat dept of pediatric oncology AMC, prof. CE van der Schoot (head of dept Exp Immunohematology sanquin), prof HN Caron, pediatric oncologist, in close collaboration with prof R. Versteeg department of Oncogenomics (AMC). The dept of experimental immunohematology is a department where research and clinical care are located side by side. The project is a collaboration between the clinical department of pediatric oncology (EKZ/AMC), dept exp immunohematology (Sanquin) and the lab of Oncogenomics of prof Versteeg, which is a leading lab in neuroblastoma research world wide.

We offer a challenging PhD research project and we ask for a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher. You must have an MSc degree in Medical Biology, Life Sciences, Biochemistry or in a related field. MD’s with experience with laboratory research may also qualify for this position. The candidate should have good command of oral and written English and must have excellent communicative skills.

We offer a full time PhD student position and collaboration in a high-tech multi-disciplinary research team. We value individual initiative and working & learning together. You will be employed by the AMC Medical Research BV for a period of 12 months, with possible extension of the contract to 48 months. The gross salary will be € 2.107,00 per month in the first year, with an increase to the maximum of € 2.700,00 per month in the fourth year. In addition the AMR BV has an End of Year Bonus of 8.3% and a holiday payment of 8% of the gross yearly salary. As a PhD candidate, you are entitled to follow courses provided by the AMC Graduate School.

For more information please contact Prof. Dr. Lieve (G.A.M.) Tytgat, g.a.tytgat@amc.uva.nl