Master thesis position bei Universitätsklinikum Freiburg

Master thesis position (m/f/d) bei Universitätsklinikum Freiburg

Universitätsklinikum Freiburg

The Lübbert lab, Department of Medicine I, is offering a

Master thesis position (m/f/d)

on ‘The role of hypomethylating agent-induced interferon response in acute myeloid leukemia'.

DNA-hypomethylating agents (HMAs) induce DNA-demethylation of repetitive regions, leading to transcription of Endogenous Retroviruses, with resultant overflow of dsRNA in the cytoplasm causing induction of interferon (IFN, so-called “viral mimicry”, Chiappinelli et. al., Rolouis et al., Cell 2015). Extensive literature demonstrates that certain modules of IFN result in antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity, but which module is responsible for antileukemic activity induced by HMAs still needs elucidation. This has important clinical implications for innovative treatment of leukemia, specifically, a combination of epigenetic treatment and immunomodulation by checkpoint inhibitors.

We are looking for a highly motivated Master’s student (m/f/d) with a background in biology (particularly epigenetics or immunobiology). The student will receive training in cell culture, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, and will have a chance to work in a translational research setup with state of art technologies at her/his disposal.

Our long-term goal is to identify and apply chemotherapy-free, curative leukemia treatment. Hence, our lab’s primary focus is on preclinical and translational studies of drug treatments specifically targeting the aberrant epigenome of leukemia cells. We are thus developing therapies to treat AML patients not benefiting from standard, aggressive chemotherapy. To this end, we have conducted multiple investigator-initiated clinical trials such as DECIDER-1, TRANSATRA, EORTC AML21 („inDACtion vs. induction“) and now DECIDER-2.

For further details visit our lab page:

https://www.uniklinik-freiburg.de/medizin1/forschung/experimentelle-forschung/luebbert-laboratory.html

Please upload your application here or send it by Email to Mr. Usama-Ur Rehman (usama-ur.rehman@uniklinik-freiburg.de).

For further inquiries, please contact:

usama-ur.rehman@uniklinik-freiburg.de

General information: Salary is assigned according to a pay scale. Unless prevented by operational or legal reasons, full-time positions are generally open to those wishing to job share. Where two candidates are equally suitable for a post, severely disabled candidates are given priority. Employment decisions are made by the Personnel Department.