Back

Open Position

Job
Description

PhD position – INNOVATION Doctoral Network ,
Munich, Germany

Nanion and the INNOVATION DN
INNOVATION (Ion channels in erythrocytes: A novel understanding from regulation of erythropoiesis and physiological function to diagnostic measures and therapeutic concepts) is a MSCA Doctoral Network (DN) characterized by eight academic and non-academic beneficiaries from four different countries (France, Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands), collaborating on the common goal of elucidating the multifaceted characteristics of ion channels and their function in red blood cells (RBCs).

As a partner in the INNOVATION consortium, Nanion will contribute to characterizing the ion channel profile of native and artificial RBCs. In the predecessor Innovative Training Networks, RELEVANCE and EVIDENCE, Nanion has established its technology as a robust tool to investigate PIEZO1 (Rotordam et al., 2018; Karamatic Crew et al., 2023), Gárdos (Buks et al., 2021) and TRPV2 (Flormann et al., 2022) channels in healthy and mutated RBCs. This approach will be extended to the investigation of other ion channels (CaV 2.1, NMDA receptors, chloride channels, etc.), and applied to RBC precursors, e.g. erythroblasts and reticulocytes, where ion channels are expressed in a larger number of copies compared to mature RBCs. The resulting ion channel profile of healthy RBCs will give insights on the role of ion channels in RBC maturation and help the functional characterization of variant of unknown significance (VUS) mutations, with the goal of providing the basis for the search of potential drug targets.

Qualifications

Candidates with a MSc degree in Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedicine or related sciences are encouraged to apply. Experience in electrophysiology, especially patch clamp, and cell culture techniques is highly desirable.

Applicants will be enrolled in a PhD program and must be willing to travel and work in collaborators’ laboratories. Candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Candidates with German nationality are strongly invited to apply for positions with partners of the INNOVATION consortium outside Germany.

Nanion Technologies is a biotechnology company providing analytical instruments for electrophysiological research, drug discovery and safety screening. Nanion was founded in 2002 as a spin-off from the Center of Nanoscience (CeNS) at the Ludwig-Maximillian University (LMU) in Munich and has expanded largely over the years counting today more than 100 employees worldwide. Nanion’s focus is automation and upscaling of electrophysiological techniques, with the core competence being high-throughput patch clamp electrophysiology. All Nanion devices are built and tested in-house by expert electrophysiologists, software and electrical engineers, and serve a wide international network of universities as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Nanion’s headquarter is located in Munich (Germany) and is well equipped with cell-culture and wet-lab facilities.

Informal enquires can be sent to giustina.rotordam@nanion.de and nadine.becker@nanion.de.  Applications shall be sent to career@nanion.de.

Deadline to apply: 11.08.2023