Research technician Cardiomyopathies

Standard treatment for heart failure fails to halt disease progression in patients who suffer from a mutation in the RBM20 gene (2000 each in the Netherlands). Ironically, the cardiomyopathy caused by these mutations are characterized by an aggressive clinical course and patients die young due to arrhythmias or need a heart transplant due to severe heart failure despite modern evidence-based therapies. Therefore, there is an urgent medical need to develop novel treatment options for these patients. The increasingly unraveled molecular basis of the disease is our lead, which allow us to directly target the cause of the disease and its molecular effectors leading to cardiac dysfunction.

We are looking for a research technician with a background in cellular or molecular biology who wants to join the group of Eva van Rooij at the Hubrecht Institute to investigate several approaches to target the molecular cause of these genetic cardiomyopathies.

About your role
The technician will be part of a translational research team investigating molecular mechanisms that are relevant for disease progression and possible therapies.

This position will be focused on developing cellular models for studying how a mutation leads to cellular phenotypes and whether therapeutic approaches influence these phenotypes. The Research Technician will culture undifferentiated iPSCs, differentiate them to cardiomyocytes and perform cellular and molecular assays to determine the phenotypes. Techniques that will be used on the cells or the cellular products are (among others): RNA isolations, qPCRs, western blotting, lentiviral transductions, immunohistochemistry and microscopy.

We are looking for a highly motivated research technician with a background in molecular and/or cell biology.

The ideal candidate has:

• HLO, bachelor or master degree in Medical Biology, Life Sciences, or a related field
• Experience working in a biomedical laboratory
• Is familiar with basic molecular and cellular techniques (experience with iPSCs will be regarded as strong points)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• The ability to work efficiently both independently and in a team
• Is precise and has an eye for details

You will be applied by Amsterdam Medical Research and fulltime working at the Hubrecht Institute via a secondment agreement.

At the Hubrecht Institute you will be part of a vibrant, international, motivated and collaborative team having access to the highly interactive and cross-disciplinary research environment of the Hubrecht Institure with great collaborative opportunities with the Department of Cardiology at the UMC Utrecht. Furthermore, you will be part of a collaborative project with the Experimental Cardiology of the Amsterdam UMC.