Sarcomas are rare cancers arising in soft tissue and bone. They are difficult to diagnose and treat, with 38-48% mortality for this often young age group. It is now generally accepted that molecular changes in cancer open avenues for personalized medicine. The recently established Leiden Center for Computational Oncology has chosen sarcoma as a prototype to develop computational tools (and generate a so-called “digital twin”) to implement personalized medicine approaches. As a PhD student, you will predominantly focus on the in-depth characterization of the complex (immune) microenvironment of sarcomas for which we anticipate large intratumour heterogeneity. You will be employing state-of-the-art technologies, such as imaging mass cytometry and single cell transcriptomics on clinical material. Furthermore, the project has a strong computational biology component which will be supported by a close collaboration with the Leiden Center for Computational Biology and the division of image processing (LKEB) (Prof. B. Lelieveldt) of the LUMC.

In short

·       You will study the molecular events underlying sarcoma development and progression

·       You will focus on the in-depth characterization of the complex (immune) microenvironment of sarcomas for which we anticipate large intratumour hetereogeneity

·       You will collaborate with multiple groups within the recently established Leiden Centre for Computational Oncology

You hold an MSc degree in a biomedical area, possess laboratory skills and have affinity with computational approaches. You must be flexible and have good communication skills, as the project entails collaboration between many different groups. You must be fluent in English, performance-driven, structured and accurate and have good writing skills.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

You will be appointed for the duration of four years. Your salary is a maximum of € 2,495 in the first year, amounting to a maximum of € 3,196 in the final year (scale PhD students, Collective Labour Agreement University Medical Centers).

LUMC

At the Leiden University Medical Center, we continuously work on improving patient care. We invest in groundbreaking, international research and work with the latest equipment. Together with our team of doctors, medical specialists, teachers, academic researchers and supporting staff, we aim for the best quality in health care, education and international research. And we need you to realize our goals!

Department of Pathology

You will work at the Department of Pathology, and your work will be embedded within the research groups Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Pathology and Immunogenomics. Judith Bovée is a clinician scientist at the Department of Pathology, LUMC, with a special focus on bone and soft tissue tumours. The LUMC has been recognized as a European reference centre for these tumours. Noel de Miranda leads the Immunogenomics group that combines immunology and genetics to both develop innovative immunotherapies and broaden efficacy of existing ones.