The PhD student will work on gene therapy development for Gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina (GACR), a rare genetic (neuro)metabolic eye disorder. Based on disease pathology, patient’s needs, ethical considerations, therapeutic developmental time lines, and current state of the art of gene therapy, we recently posed that the most optimal therapeutic strategy is systemic treatment with a (repurposed) drug/supplement, combined with specific ocular gene therapy (Bergen and coworkers, 2023).

The candidate will use our unique set of human iPSC derived retinal GACR models and perform tailored therapeutic screens with repurposed medicine taken from the parallel SYMPATHIC consortium (Karnebeek and coworkers 2023). The candidate will, in parallel, explore CRISPR and AAV technologies to develop new ocular gene therapy.

We have all multidisciplinary facilities, technology and expertise needed directly at our disposal. The candidate will build on the extensive experience and infrastructure of the Ophthalmogenetics lab with iPSC technology for retinal cell/organoid differentiation combined with the innovative 3D cellular bioprinting, to develop and use retinal models in pre-clinical setting.

• You will work together with other PhD students, postdocs, staff members and assistant professors of the Ophthalmogenetics lab and Emma Center for Personalized Medicine and together you look for connections between various scientific. Your project will inform and strengthen other projects, and vice versa. You contribute to the implementation of the four counters of the Emma CPM; diagnostics, therapy, care and education;
• You will contribute to education by guiding students and/or PhD candidates, assist in developing education for healthcare professionals, patients (and their loved ones) and other stakeholders, and translate new scientific insights into educational and other knowledge-sharing methods;
• You will actively participate in educational activities within Amsterdam UMC;
• Your studies will result in peer reviewed scientific publications, and will be presented at national and international conferences.

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic PhD student with:

• An completed MSc in a relevant field;
• Preferably a background in stem cell biology and molecular biology. Experience with retinal or relevant other cultures and confocal microscopy is preferred, and/or experience in models for drug screening, AAV or similar gene therapeutics;
• Preferably a broad understanding of iPSC and retinal or other relevant culture techniques and pathogenesis studies as indicated by publications/internship studies in visual (neuro-) science related field;
• Due to the collaborative nature of the project, the candidate must be an excellent team player, proficient in English and have excellent communication skills.

• A flying start to your career in scientific research.
• Plenty of room for personal development with a wide range of training & development of academic skills
• Working on large-scale and own research, with motivated colleagues
• A contract for 6 months with the prospect of extension for the duration.
• Salary scale: OIO: € 3.017 tot € 3.824 bruto (based on a fulltime workweek), depending on qualifications and experience.
• Additional benefits including an 8.3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday pay. Calculate your net salary here.
• Your pension is accrued at BeFrank. A modern, understandeble en fair pension
• Excellent accessibility with public transportation and reimbursement of a large portion of your travel expenses. Additionally, we have plenty of parking spaces at the AMC location and a good bicycle scheme.

Amsterdam UMC

AMC Medical Research (AMR) is located at location AMC. AMR supports scientific research in non-profit settings. AMR provides researchers with everything they need to excel. For example, AMR offers principal investigators (PIs) and project leaders guidance in the areas of project management, finance and human resources. Legal support is also provided for medical-scientific research projects. Watch the video below for more information.

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