A Post-doctoral position is available to study novel immune modulating therapies to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, using humanized mouse models, in the Department of Immunology at the Institut Pasteur Paris.
Current treatment strategies for HBV are life-long and rarely curative. Although HBV infects hepatocytes, its evasion and modulation of the immune response is key to the physiopathology observed.
Project outline:
The goal is to analyze the immune response to HBV during and after treatment with a combination of antiviral and immune modulating therapies using a humanized mouse model. Innate and adaptive immunity will be characterized to determine whether efficient immune responses are restored, leading to seroconversion and a functional cure off treatment. We aim to decipher the immune response leading to viral persistence versus viral control and uncover predictive biomarkers of each state.
Environment:
The project is funded through the European Commission H2020 call, in the IP-Cure-B consortium with over 10 research laboratories and an industrial partner. The IP-Cure-B project includes a pre-clinical platform to develop and test novel immunomodulators targeting HBV, as well as a clinical trial with an immunomodulator in virally suppressed chronic HBV patients.
The Institut Pasteur in Paris is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field of infectious disease research and is ranked as a top-level institution for publication impact in microbiology and infectious diseases. Research is organized in 130 research units in 11 thematic departments, covering a wide-range of subjects including microbiology and infectious diseases, immunology, neuroscience, developmental biology, genetics and cancer. The candidate will join the Group Humanized mice for infectious disease modeling, in the Innate Immunity Unit within the Immunology Department.
https://research.pasteur.fr/fr/team/innate-immunity/
Candidate requirements:
Candidates should have a PhD with strong background in Immunology and/or Virology, technical expertise with murine models, FACS, molecular biology and cell culture. Applicants should be highly motivated, well organized, proficient in English, and able to work independently as well as collaboratively.
Application:
The position is immediately available, applicants should send their CV, a letter of motivation including a summary of previous research experience, and contact information for two references to Helene Strick-Marchand (helene.strick-marchand@pasteur.fr).
