The postdoctoral researcher will work on projects aimed at identifying novel genes associated with cancer predisposition in children and young adults, and unraveling the mechanisms involved in cancer initiation and progression in these patients. Furthermore, he or she will be involved in designing and implementing tools to improve recognition of patients at risk, with the ultimate aim to offer them with optimal treatment and surveillance.

One project will focus on bladder cancer patients diagnosed under the age of 30, for which whole genome sequencing of 51 patient-parents trios is currently performed. In a second project, we will incorporate childhood cancer patients suspected of an underlying DNA repair syndrome. 

Specific tasks will include:

collecting and processing of normal and tumor materials from patients (and their parents) with suspected cancer predisposition, and process them for sequencing.
data analysis and interpretation of patient-parent trios and tumor-normal pairs in order to identify causative germline mutations and tumor-initiating mechanisms
the extraction of mutational spectra and signatures from tumor sequencing data to identify childhood and young-adult cancer patients with underlying DNA repair syndromes.
The postdoc will operate in a strongly integrated team of researchers, clinicians, and bioinformaticians within the PI group.

• PhD in genetics, molecular biology or cell biology
• Experience with genomic (next generation) sequencing, including data analysis
• Experience in working with pathology specimen is beneficial
• Strong drive for a career in science
• Independent and creative working style
• Strong communicative skills
• Good writing and presenting skills
• Self-critical mindset....

Working at the Princess Máxima Centre

• The Princess Máxima Center operates according to the ‘cao algemene ziekenhuizen’ (CLA Hospitals)\
• Your salary is being fixed on the basis of scale equivalents in this collective labour agreement
• You are entitled to an 8,33% holiday allowance and an 8,33% year-end bonus
• Pension Scheme
• Participation in Collective Health Insurance with 10% collectivity reduction
• full time postion for 36 hours per week
• 144 holiday hours and 57 PLB hours, both based on full time contract

Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology

The Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology is a recently started, fastly growing research hospital for children with cancer. The institute houses an increasing number of research groups, which aim to develop cures for all children with cancer with minimal long-term side effects of existing treatment.
The group Childhood Cancer Genetics and Predisposition aims to identify and investigate genetic aberrations involved in the process of cancer initiation and progression in order to understand genetic predisposition and disease recurrence. Our research projects focus around two major themes:`

• the genomic aberrations associated with therapy resistance and relapse in leukemia
• identification of genetic abnormalities associated with cancer predisposition in children and young adults

Our group has strong collaborations with several other PI groups within the Princess Máxima Center, as well as with multiple international groups, consortia and networks.
Within the group we currently have a vacancy for a postdoc who will focus on novel cancer predisposition genes in children and young adults.

Research Project

The growing availability of genome-wide profiling and sequencing technologies revolutionizes our understanding of cancer genomes, and provides us with opportunities to better predict risks for cancer development, and identify patients that are at increased risk for developing cancer. Single gene mutations have been identified with a major impact on cancer risk and outcome. In the majority of cases, however, the cause of cancer onset and progression is dependent on a more complex interplay between genetic factors, which is more challenging to elucidate. We try to unravel this interplay of genetic factors by applying sophisticated analyses of whole genome sequencing and transcriptomics data of both tumor samples and normal inherited DNA, with the ultimate aim to identify novel genes and mechanisms involved in an individual’s risk for cancer development and therapy response.