You are a researcher in the field of Immunology and interested in the development of DNA vaccines for immunotherapy of cancer. Is this you? Then please read on!
We are looking for a postdoc who will optimize and potentiate DNA vaccines in mouse models. You will focus on the design of our DNA vaccine, for example by the inclusion of immune stimulatory genes. You will also develop and test a humanized version of this optimized vaccine to be used in a clinical trial following this project. To this end, you will use a broad range of technologies: cellular immunological assays, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, ELISA and pre-clinical tumor models.  

The project

The Tumor Immunology Group in the LUMC and Immunetune, a new biotech company based in Leiden, are developing personalized DNA-based vaccines to treat highly mutated cancer types such as melanoma. These vaccines are designed to train the immune system to selectively identify and eliminate tumor cells based on tumor-specific DNA mutations (neoantigens), thus yielding a type of precision medicine with an excellent safety profile.

Within our joint NeoVAC project, we will further develop our prototype vaccine to enable the rapid production of small amounts of customized vaccine for each individual patient. The future goals of our team  are: (1) to optimize and potentiate DNA vaccines with genetic adjuvants to ameliorate priming of the hosts’ immune response; (2) to optimize Immunetune’s vaccine delivery system and perform thorough pre-clinical toxicity, safety and efficacy studies; (3) to develop economically favorable production methods for DNA vaccines. Ultimately, a clinical trial will be prepared, including GMP production of a candidate human vaccine, and regulatory approval to allow first-in-human studies.

You are a highly driven, enthusiastic and motivated candidate who has recently obtained a Ph.D. in an immunological subject. In addition, you are experienced in the in vitro and in vivo technologies required for this project, and are in possession of an ‘article 9’ qualification. Furthermore, you have excellent organizational skills. Knowledge of tumor immunology is a plus. Do these qualifications match with your persona? Then do not hesitate to apply.

You will be employed on the basis of a 36-hour workweek for the duration of the project, which is at least two years, with the possibility of a 4-year term. Your salary will be a maximum of € 4,216 gross per month (scale 10 of the Collective Labor Agreement for University Hospitals) depending on experience and education. By joining us, you will be part of a young and dynamic team consisting of international researchers.

The terms of employment offered by the LUMC are excellent. For example, you will receive 8% holiday pay, a year-end bonus, and a pension arrangement with the National Civil Pension Fund. Also, as an employee of one of the University Hospitals in the Netherlands, you can benefit from our collective health insurance policy.

Moreover, the LUMC offers excellent facilities in terms of education, child-care centers, and career advice. In addition, you may enjoy various leave arrangements and other extras. You can read more about these facilities elsewhere on this site.

LUMC

At the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), we are continually seeking to improve the quality of healthcare. The LUMC aims for excellence in patient care, research, teaching, training and continuing education.

http://www.lumc.nl/

Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion

Within  the department Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, the Tumor Immunology Group is a young team of about 20 people and the research focuses on improving immunotherapy for cancer.
This NeoVac project funded by KWF, is in close collaboration with Immunetune, a new biotech company based in Leiden which is developing personalized DNA-based vaccines to treat cancer.