You will be involved in multiple ongoing research projects in the research group of dr. Huijbers. In addition to experimental work, you will be involved in lab management tasks related to maintaining the lab and supporting other PhD students and postdocs. The group of Dr. Huijbers studies the pathophysiology of neuromuscular autoimmune diseases such as myasthenia gravis (MG). In addition, there is a special interest in autoimmune diseases predominantly mediated by IgG4 autoantibodies. For one of these disorders, MuSK MG, monoclonal antibodies of patients have been generated by us to facilitate the study of the pathophysiology of this disease. In addition, these antibodies have special features which might enable therapeutic applications. Your work will include the analysis of the functional and immunological characteristics of these antibodies and supporting experiments investigating their application in animal disease models. These studies are facilitated by a variety of genomic and proteomic, antibody-oriented technologies as well as a variety of cellular and animal models that the lab has at its disposal.

 ·        You received your BSc (HLO laboratory research) in molecular biology, immunology or a related field

 ·        You have hands-on experience with standard molecular biology techniques

 ·        You have experience with antibody-related techniques like ELISA, affinity chromatography and immunofluorescent staining

 ·        You are interested in working with experimental animals and have attained “Article 12/13f” that allows you to work with them

 ·        You are motivated to study autoimmune disorders and antibody characteristics.

You are an enthusiastic and driven research technician who likes to work in a young and dynamic team with a focus on unravelling fundamental and mechanistic research questions. You have hands-on experience in common molecular biology tools (molecular cloning, mammalian cell culture, western blotting, fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, qPCR). Experience with chromatography (antibody purification) and animal experimental work is an advantage. You are accurate and able to work independently as well as within a team. You have a flexible attitude, great sense of teamwork and possess excellent communication skills in English, and preferably also in Dutch. Furthermore, you like to be involved in the organisational tasks of running a research lab.

Fixed-term contract: min. 1 year.

You will be employed on the basis of 36 hours per week. Appointment is for one year, with with an extension of one year. Your salary is based on your education and experience and is a maximum of  € 3,099  gross per month for a full time position (scale 7 in the Collective Labour Agreement for University Hospitals).

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!

http://www.lumc.nl/

You will work in between two departments at the LUMC: Human Genetics (Prof. Dr. S.M. van der Maarel, head of the department) and Neurology (Prof. Dr. J.J.G.M. Verschuuren, head of the department). Both departments have a longstanding collaboration on research of neurological motor disorders. This research is embedded in the LUMC Medical Research Profile 'Translational Neurosciences'. The collaboration facilitates translational research based on fundamental research, patient material and clinical expertise. It is also supported through interactions with other departments both within and outside the LUMC. The MuSK research team is led by Dr. M.G.M. Huijbers.