Patients with aggressive types of B cell lymphoma require immediate treatment aiming at complete remission and cure. However, a substantial fraction of these lymphomas is either primary refractory to the treatment or relapses, most likely related to therapy resistance. Other patients may develop recurrences after a longer interval period. In both cases, clonal relationship between the primary tumor and their recurrences are normally not determined to assess whether a second primary lymphoma may occur.

Recent studies have started to unravel the identity of genes associated with relapse through whole-exome sequencing, but larger numbers of paired diagnosis-relapsed samples need to be analyzed to really define the molecular pathways that are recurrently affected and thereby implicated in therapy resistance. On the other hand, patients with second primary lymphoma may display genetic predisposition to hematological malignancies. We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate who will participate in an interdisciplinary research team to uncover the clonal relationship and mutational landscape of B cell lymphoma recurrences by employing state-of-the-art next-generation sequencing approaches.

The candidate will participate in the PhD program of the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS).

• MSc degree in Medical Biology, Molecular Life Sciences or an equivalent university degree;
• Experience in molecular biology techniques;
• Excellent laboratory skills for this technical challenging project;
• Interested or experience with next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic analyses;
• Excellent communication skills in spoken and written English;
• Capable of working independently as well as in a multi-disciplinary team.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

•  This position is funded by KWF, the Dutch foundation for cancer research. The position is designed and funded as a 4-year full-time position.
• Salary is € 2266 gross per month in the first year up to a maximum of € 2903 gross per month in the last fourth year, plus additional vacation bonus (8% per year) and end of year payments (8.3% per year);
• Upon commencement of employment we require a certificate of conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag, VOG). Radboud university medical center’s HR Department will apply for this certificate on your behalf.

Read more about the Radboudumc employment conditions.

Radboudumc (university medical center)

Radboudumc strives to be a leading developer of sustainable, innovative and affordable healthcare to improve the health and wellbeing of people and society in the Netherlands and beyond. This is the core of our mission: To have a significant impact on healthcare. To get a better picture of what this entails, check out our strategy film.

Our key strength is medical life-sciences and clinical practice, with an impressive infrastructure comprising state-of-the-art technology platforms and (translational) research facilities. The Radboudumc is therefore uniquely positioned in the emerging Euregio and Dutch healthcare infrastructure to play a leading role in the new healthcare paradigm of prediction, prevention and personalised medicine.

The Radboudumc focuses on scientific health challenges of today, with an eye on emerging diseases of the future.

Read more about what it means to work at Radboudumc and how you can do your part.

The research project will be conducted at the Department of Pathology in close collaboration with scientists and clinicians at the Departments of Hematology, Tumor Immunology and Human Genetics of the Radboudumc. The Department of Pathology is recognized internationally for its innovative approaches to improve diagnostics and research in different areas of oncology through the joint effort of a multidisciplinary team of basic and clinical scientists.