A pre-doctoral position is available at KU Leuven for a competitive 4-year C1 funding project titled 'Is the cerebroprotective function of Prdm16 during ischemic stroke mediated by controlling the TGFbeta/BMP signaling balance?' This opportunity is offered in the labs of Prof. An Zwijsen and Prof. Aernout Luttun, at the Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology (CMVB), Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium. The two host labs are part of the Vascular Biology group within the CMVB and have a long-standing collaboration on how transcription factors and signaling pathways determine the specific characteristics of endothelial cells in different vascular beds.

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Project

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and permanent disability worldwide, resulting from a cerebral artery occlusion. Given its association with aging, the prevalence and socioeconomic burden of stroke are expected to rise, underscoring the urgent need for effective interventions. The most promising strategy to salvage ischemic brain tissue involves restoring cerebral blood flow by enhancing collateral arteri(ol)es and preserving blood-brain barrier integrity. Our research has identified that the transcription factor Prdm16 in endothelial cells plays a protective role during stroke, although its expression decreases with aging. Prdm16 is known to interact with the Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)beta/bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathways, and our preliminary data suggest a similar mechanism in the brain endothelium. Your mission will be to: 1° establish whether modulation of the TGFbeta/BMP balance is part of the cerebroprotective mechanism downstream of Prdm16; 2° leverage these findings to develop biomarker and therapeutic strategies to combat ischemic stroke.

• You will manage a dedicated project related to the described aims, ensuring ethical compliance, planning, and execution of experiments, as well as data management and processing.
• Collaborate with team members focusing on endothelial heterogeneity and interact with colleagues in other CMVB labs involved in endothelial research.
• Engage with UZ Leuven clinicians to conduct a proof-of-principle biomarker study.
• Work with disease models in transgenic mice, cell cultures, and human samples, with a significant focus on molecular phenotyping and deciphering mechanisms of action through single-cell omics.
• Present your work at internal and external (inter)national meetings and publish in scientific journals.
• Engage in scientific communication with the general public.

Profile

Candidates should have a Master’s degree in (bio)medical sciences or equivalent.
Experience in multiple aspects mentioned in the project description, possibly through your Master’s thesis, is an advantage.
You should be highly motivated, enthusiastic, able to work both independently and within a multidisciplinary research team, and possess a problem-solving attitude.
Excellent communication and writing skills in English are required.

Offer

The position is available for one or two years, depending on satisfactory progress.
Candidates are expected to apply for a pre-doctoral scholarship during the first year, with the possibility of extension upon receiving the scholarship.
Enrollment in the Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences at KU Leuven is required.
Access to state-of-the-art technologies and a rich training environment will be provided.
This pre-doctoral position offers the opportunity to gain expertise in endothelial cell behavior and BMP signaling on an international level, as the promoter team coordinates a highly interactive and international network on this topic. Network partners possess a wide range of technologies that can be shared through lab visits.

Interested?

For more information, please contact Prof. dr. An Zwijsen (an.zwijsen@kuleuven.be) or Prof. dr. Aernout Luttun (aernout.luttun@kuleuven.be).

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