You will be involved in ongoing research projects in the research group of Dr. Maartje Huijbers. The research group studies the pathophysiology of neuromuscular autoimmune diseases like 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 isolated which facilitates the study of the pathophysiology of this disease. In addition, these antibodies have special features that might enable therapeutic applications. Your project will include the isolation of new monoclonal antibodies from patients’ immune cells and the analysis of the genetic, functional and immunological characteristics of these antibodies. You will identify the antibodies with the most favourable features in vitro and test their effects in in vivo models. The application of these antibodies in our animal models will be one of the most important aspects of this project. You will collaborate closely with a technician, who is also working on this project. 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 are an enthusiastic and driven researcher who enjoys working in a young and dynamic team with a focus on unravelling fundamental and mechanistic research questions. You have hands-on experience with common molecular biology tools (molecular cloning, mammalian cell culture, Western blotting, fluorescent microscopy, qPCR, etc) and animal experiments. Experience with FACS and RNA sequencing analysis is an advantage. You are accurate and able to work independently within a team. You have a flexible attitude, great sense of teamwork and possess excellent communication skills in English.

You will be employed on the basis of 36 hours per week. Appointment is for a minimum of 1 year, possibly to be extend for another 1.5 years. Your salary is based on your education and experience and is a maximum of  € 4,481  gross per month for a full time position (scale 10 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!

Human Genetics

You will work in between two departments at the LUMC: Human Genetics (Prof. Dr. Silvère van der Maarel, head of the department) and Neurology (Prof. Dr. Jan 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 Neuroimmunology research team is led by Dr. Maartje Huijbers.