PhD Position on enriching digital twins of the human heart with real ion channels

Each beat of our hearts is coordinated by electrical impulses generated by the heart tissue itself. These electrical impulses are generated in the muscle cells through the action of ion channels in the cell membrane, allowing entry and exit of charged ions.

Variations in the genes encoding ion channels can cause disruption of the electrical impulses, and can cause a lethal stop of the heart beat. Prediction whether a newly found gene variation is dangerous or not is difficult and requires a lot of experimental work. In this project we will continue development of a new high-throughput method that will speed up and improve such predictions.

We will further develop a combination of automated patch clamping and dynamic clamping. Using these techniques, we can create hybrid biological-digital twins of heart cells that are suitable for studying the effects of the ion channel variants, and will be used to test drug effects. Important advantage of this approach is that we merge the actual biological ion channels into a simulation of the electrical impulses of heart cells, thereby capturing the real biology and real ion channel-drug interactions. Within this project we will develop the implementation of this technique and work towards use in clinical diagnostics.

Key objectives include:

• Optimising expression of ion channel variants in cell lines.
• Performing automated patch clamping experiments.
• Validation of hybrid biological-digital twin methods and experiments.
• Development of protocols for integration of the method in clinical diagnostics.

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher with a MSc degree and a strong collaborative mindset that can thrive in an international translational research environment. The candidate must be proficient in spoken and written English, and have a solid background in biomedical engineering. Experience with (electro)physiology and/or mathematical modeling are considered advantageous.

Are you the person we are looking for? Submit your application including your CV, a motivation letter and two reference letters. If you have any questions please contact Teun de Boer to t.p.deboer@umcutrecht.nl or Toon van Veen a.a.b.vanveen@umcutrecht.nl.

The maximum salary for this position (36 - 36 hours) is € 3.598,00 gross per month based on full-time employment.

In addition, we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

The Netherlands Heart Foundation funds this project through its public-private partnership programme, and additional contributions are made by Nanion Technologies GmBH (Munich, Germany) and Elements Srl (Cesena, Italy). The project is coordinated by Dr. Teun de Boer. The PhD candidate will work at the Department of Medical Physiology of the UMC Utrecht and will have access to state of the art technology. The candidate will work in a stimulating and interdisciplinary research team, and will collaborate with a post-doc employed on the same project.

Contact our colleague:
Teun de Boer
088 755 89 00
T.P.deBoer@umcutrecht.nl