In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) adequate renal clearance is compromised resulting in the accumulation of a plethora of solutes. These uremic retention solutes (‘toxins’) have been associated with adverse outcome in patients with CKD. It became recently clear that uremia is associated with an altered gut microbiome composition and metabolism and an increased production of uremic toxins, linking the kidney to the gut. Moreover, the uremic toxins may directly affect the intestinal barrier. It is currently unclear how we can influence the gut microbiome and metabolome in favor of reduced disease burden. To this end, knowledge on the pathways that can be nutritionally or pharmacologically triggered is of major importance. Studies in rodents revealed some mechanistic insights, but rodents clearly differ in metabolism from human. Therefore, accurate tools for predicting patient responses and the development of therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. The, Dutch Kidney Foundation funded, postdoctoral fellow project aims to establish a gut-kidney axis on-a-chip platform that allows simulating the bidirectional regulation of uremic toxins in humans. This is based on a 3-dimensional (3D) culture platform under continuous flow to reproduce the intestinal and kidney microenvironments on a micro-scale.

The postdoctoral candidate must have a PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science or Chemistry, with demonstrated experience and skills in biofabrication, microfluidics, cell culture and imaging. Furthermore, the candidate should be highly motivated and have excellent oral and written communication skills. You will be joining a multidisciplinary research team of Bioengineers, Pharmacologists and molecular and cellular Biologists, and Nephrologists.

The candidate is offered a full-time position for one year, with the possibility of extending with another year. Salary ranges between €3,238 and €4,084 (scale 10 Collective Labour Agreement Duch Universities) gross per month for a full-time employment.
 

Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). The research group will provide the candidate with necessary support on all aspects of the project. More information is available at: working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old center and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht city has been consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the Netherlands.

The Faculty of Science consists of six Departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information and Computing Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics. The Faculty is home to 5,600 students and nearly 1,500 staff and is internationally renowned for the quality of its research. The Faculty's academic programmes reflect developments in today's society. Read the overall impression 2016 of the Faculty of Science.

The scientific research at Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) focuses on processes around discovery, development, and use of drugs and medical nutrition using molecular and technological principles from the Natural and Life Sciences. The objective of the division of Pharmacology of UIPS is to gain deeper insight into the pathways in which cells and mediators of the immune and/or the central nervous systems interact and aimed to develop new concepts for prevention and/or treatment of immune related disorders, including infections, chronic inflammatory diseases, metabolic diseases and brain disorders. Its research strategy follows a molecule-to-man approach in which experimental pharmacological expertise and translational pharmacological expertise form a unique bridge between pharmaceutical sciences, biology, medicine and veterinary life sciences.