About usEarly trials of CAR-T in solid tumours while showing some promise for the therapy often fail to reach the clinical success of those seen in haeamtological malignancies. As such further effort needs to be pot into developing relevant models to assess efficacy and potential downfalls of CAR T cells and find strategies to mitigate these issues.Additionally, we are developing further immunotherapies against solid tumours including other targets, such as dual-targeting CAR-T and bi-specific T cell engagers, as well as combining with radiotherapy.A major challenge is preclinically testing these treatments before clinical use to select the safest, most effective therapies. Current in vitro and in vivo solid tumour models for testing CAR T cells specifically are severely limited, some lacking a functional human immune system to properly evaluate toxicity and efficacy and some not recapitulating the disease and TME effectively.About the roleThis role will be based in the Roddie laboratory at UCL Cancer Institute. The postholder will further develop and test models of solid and test the efficacy of immunotherapy (CAR T cells) potential alone or in combination with other therapies. The post will involve molecular cloning, lentiviral production, HSC isolation and manipulation, complex analysis using flow cytometry, RNA-seq and other tools. There will a main component of murine work involved in establishing, validating and testing the model. There is a substantial focus on development and testing of new immunotherapies, with a focus on CAR-T in HCC, RCC and Breast Cancer.Further, there will be the opportunity to develop other projects in T cell/ antibody engineering, depending on the interests of the candidate. This would be an excellent opportunity for a candidate interested in translational research to gain experience in cancer immunotherapy and complex modelling.Essential requirement for the role: a valid UK personal license (PIL) required, a copy of which should be brought to interview.The post is for 1 year in the first instance. The starting salary is contingent on the candidate’s previous experience.Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B, with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.Applications should include a CV and a Cover Letter: In the Cover Letter please evidence the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification part of the Job Description. (By including a Cover Letter, you can leave blank the 'Why you have applied for this role' field in the application form, which is limited in the number of characters it will allow.)About youSuccessful candidates must have a Postdoctoral qualification PhD in related subject with laboratory experience. Immunology or Cancer biology background favoured.BSc in biomedical sciences or a related subject 2:1 or above is essential.The successful applicant will be experienced in flow cytometry, including designing high dimensional panels; murine modelling; and have some experience in molecular biology. They should have an interest in and understanding of cancer immunology including CAR-T.Applicants must have experience in presenting complex scientific concepts and content both in writing and verbally. They will show a strong commitment to the lab mission and embody its values through excellent collaborative interpersonal skills with an ability to work cooperatively in a multidisciplinary setting. Further, excellent communication skills and the ability to work well in a multidisciplinary team and to train juniors are essential.What we offerAs well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
On-Site nursery
On-site gym
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
Discounted medical insurance
For rewards and benefits at UCL please visit: .Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and InclusionAs London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here :Available documents
