Post-doctoral internship in Cell biology and/or analytical Biochemistry

A post-doctoral internship, funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder Open  “MIMOSA” project, is available in Rouen, Normandy, France. We are looking for a candidate with a recent PhD in Cell biology and/or analytical Biochemistry to join our cardiovascular research team.

The position is available at the Inserm U1096 EnVI Laboratory, directed by Pr Jeremy Bellien, situated at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Rouen, FRANCE. Our research focuses on translational evaluations of the mechanisms behind and novel treatments of cardiovascular diseases (https://insermu1096.fr/).

Salary and fellowship duration (1-2 years) will be set according to Rouen university rules considering the level of previous skills and experience of the fellow (approx. 2,200–3,000 € net per month).

Our academic research laboratory, with dual affiliation to INSERM and UNIROUEN at Normandy University, regroups 30 permanent Staff employed by either the university or Inserm (1 university Professor, 1 Inserm Research director, 3 Associate Professors (MCF), 6 university or Inserm technicians/engineers, and 1 administrator), or by the Rouen university hospital (10 Professors (PU-PH), 4 Associate Professors (MCU-PH), and 4 Hospital practitioners (PH)). The unit also includes 30-35 non-permanent members: 1 post-doc and 1 research engineer, 23 PhD students, and 5-10 Master 2 students each year. The proposed project will be led by Thomas Duflot (MCU-PH) in close collaboration with Jérémy Bellien (PU-PH), Ebba Brakenhielm (DR2 Inserm), Sylvain Fraineau and Valentin Platel (both MCF).

The position is funded through the MIMOSA European EIC pathfinder project (https://www.mimosa.cnrs.fr/), initiated in 2021. The project is based on multidisciplinary collaboration, involving physics, chemistry, biology, biomedicine and computational modelling. It is part of a European consortium that includes 3 research teams from UNIROUEN Normandy University: EnVI UMR1096 laboratory, GPM (Groupe de Physique des Matériaux) and CORIA (Complexe de Recherche Interprofessionnel en Aérothermochimie). The MIMOSA project brings together experts in light-matter interactions in the ultrafast regime, laser physics, atom probe tomography (APT) and biosample encapsulation. The ultimate goal to develop a novel high-resolution 4D microscopy platform based on a disruptive technology enabling high spatial resolution and chemical sensitivity analysis of biomaterial through ultrafast APT (THz-APT).

The recruited researcher will assume two main responsibilities:

1) synthesizing, purifying, and characterizing various nanosized biomaterials including mitochondrial fractions, proteins, lipoproteins, and extracellular vesicles for APT imaging.

2) assisting in the development and validation of an analytical method for analyzing sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). This part will build on ongoing international projects led by the EnVI laboratory including ANR PHASM (Bellien) and ANR CITE-LYMPH (Brakenhielm).

Specifically, the researcher will investigate the role of S1P signaling in vascular endothelial cells, and its significance in maintenance of vascular and lymphatic barrier. The fellow will be responsible for the quantification of S1P in biological samples (from in vivo or in vitro models of cardiovascular disease) using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Additionally, the postdoc will conduct co-culture experiments involving endothelial cells and macrophages to study S1P release. There are also opportunities to further develop a new research program on S1P by applying for grants.

The iNSERM UMR1096 EnVI laboratory is fully equipped for the proposed work, featuring an analytical chemistry platform situated within the Institute of Clinical Biology at Rouen University Hospital Charles-Nicolle. Additionally, state-of-the-art cell culture facilities are available at the EnVI research laboratory. It is worth noting that these two facilities are closely located, being within 500 meters of each other.

Key words: Sphingosine-1-Phosphate, Vascular Endothelial Cells, Macrophages, Angiogenesis, Lymphangiogenesis, Lymphatic endothelial cells, Extracellular Vesicles.