23.09.2011

Lab Manager and Postdocs wanted (Tartu University)

Several positions are available in the Laboratory of Tumor Biology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu headed by Tambet Teesalu PhD.  The laboratory is being established with support of the Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship and European Research Council Starting Grant.

Our mission is to develop smart cancer therapeutics with increased potency and decreased side effects.  We use in vivo (in live animals) and ex vivo (using excised samples) phage display screens to identify homing peptides that bind to specific targets in the vasculature. Corresponding synthetic peptides can be used to target drugs and biologicals into tumors to increase their therapeutic index. Some of the peptides that we call Tumor Penetrating Peptides (TPP) trigger targeted delivery by activating bulk extravascular transport in the tumor tissue. As no chemical modification of the drug is required for TPP-augmented targeting, the TPP have huge potential in augmenting the clinical use of already approved cancer drugs. Development of TPP of novel specificities, validation of their preclinical efficacy  and elucidation of the TPP-mediated tumor penetration pathway will be the focus of research in our laboratory. The work will be carried out in close  collaboration and ample training opportunities at  the Sugahara-Teesalu laboratory of the Cancer Center of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, California (USA).

We look for highly motivated team players that want to be a part of a dynamic and translationally oriented research lab.  At the present time we have the following vacancies:

Lab Manager

This is a non-research job that requires previous lab experience and scientific training. You will be responsible for administering all the activities crucial for the work of the laboratory. Duties will include training junior members of the staff, equipment maintenance, maintaining the inventories of the reagents, dealing with regulatory issues (safety, ethics approvals), support with technical grant writing/reporting, and external collaborations.

Postdoctoral Research Scientist(s)

You will have a PhD in biology, medicine, chemistry, or related fields (bioengineering, bio-nanotechnology). In addition to proven ability of creative thinking you must be an avid learner and willing to participate in animal experiments. You are passionate about developing in-depth understanding of cancer biology and new targeted cancer therapies. Ideally, you will have at least some experience in one (or several) of the following: (1) mouse models of breast, prostate and brain tumors and their use for preclinical drug development; (2) targeted delivery of compounds to cells/tumors (using peptides, aptamers, antibodies); (3) phage display selections; (4) cloning and protein expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems; (5) development of therapeutic, diagnostic, or theranostic nanoparticles.

As a member of the team, you will enjoy excellent salary and training/growth opportunities. Please send a cover letter briefly summarizing research interests and career goals, CV, and contact information for 2-3 academic references to Tambet Teesalu (tteesalu@sanfordburnham.org).