PhD Candidate in Tissue Engineering using Silk for Intervertebral Disc Repair

PhD candidate in Tissue Engineering using Silk for Intervertebral Disc Repair
75%

University of Bern, DBMR Employment starting from October 1, 2024 limited contract for 3 years

The fixed contract will be for three years, which is foreseen in a Weave Agency SNF-funded project. It is targeted to start in October 2024.
The Weave Agency SNF-funded project lasts three years and starts on 1 October 2024.

Low back pain (LBP) is a severe pathology which affects about 80% of Western societies. The LBP is often associated with degenerated intervertebral discs (IVD) of the spine. Currently, no ideal solutions are available to restore a degenerated disc and its functions. The selected candidate will be integrated into an internationally competitive research environment, combining experimental and theoretical methods to test original scientific hypotheses and to develop innovative implant technology to "rescue" or repair the degenerated intervertebral disc. She/he will work on a cross-disciplinary research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). The project is to develop a novel type of "patch" made of silk and engineered by the German partner institute in Dresden, Germany. The research will be on testing the cytocompatibility in 2D and 3D in-vitro on primary patient-derived cells (disc cells and mesenchymal stem cells) and in an in-house developed organ culture system using a two Degree-of-Freedom bioreactor using bovine coccygeal IVDs. Laboratory methods involve qPCR, Western blotting, ELISA, immune histology, microscopy, and biomechanical testing.

Tasks

• Perform cell-ad tissue/organ culture experiments under guidance
• Collect, and analyze wet-lab data
• Enroll at the Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB)
• Write and publish original research articles

Requirements

• Candidates must hold a Master of Science from an academic well-recognized Institution
• The ideal candidate has a cross-disciplinary CV
• Experience in Tissue Engineering, 3D Printing, Biofabrication or similar
• And a strong background in lab bench work, molecular biology, and biomaterial engineering skills
• Additional experience with animal in-vivo research or willingness to assist and perform animal experiments in rodents will be favoured. Thus, an LTK1 course module would be very welcome.
• The candidate will also advise undergraduate students in her/his domain of expertise and may be involved in teaching tissue engineering courses for biomedical engineers.
• Knowledge of German is helpful, and persuasive writing skills in English are necessary.

We offer

• Cross-disciplinary environment
• International scientific team for expertise exchange
• Access to clinically relevant material
• National and International Networking
• Bench-space to wet-lab class2 biosafety lab
• Excellent core facilities (i.e., microscopy, NGS, transcriptomics)

Contact
Prof. Dr. Benjamin Gantenbein

Please send your application as a SINGLE FILE, including a letter of motivation and a complete CV, including three references and records,
by August 30, 2024
.

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