Junior Postdoc Inhalable vaccine

Vaccines are effective training programs for the immune system to combat pathogens; however, they are not yet optimal for stimulating T cells to eliminate cancer. We are developing nanobody- and liposome-based vaccines to precisely deliver vaccines to antigen-presenting cells, thereby enhancing their efficacy in stimulating T cells. Specifically, our focus is on tissue-resident memory T cells (Trm), which play a crucial role in providing long-lived and robust anti-tumor immunity. In this project, we will investigate whether local application in the lung can further enhance the efficacy of nanovaccines in generating lung-resident memory T cells. As part of this role, you will generate nanovaccines and analyze their routing and capacity to activate lung Trm to suppress lung cancer.

As a junior postdoc your main tasks and responsibilities include:

• Developing and producing nanovaccines based on nanobodies and liposomes;
• Analyzing the uptake of nanovaccines by immune cells in the lungs, including macrophages and dendritic cells;
• Evaluating nanovaccines efficacy in stimulating (tissue-resident) T cells and NKT cells in vitro and in vivo;
• Assessing nanovaccines capacity to suppress tumor outgrowth in preclinical mouse models;
• Working closely with our collaborators at Amsterdam UMC on this project;
• Authoring manuscripts submitted to high quality journals;
• Presenting research findings at conferences.

We are looking for a junior postdoc who has the following expertise and experience:

• You have a PhD degree (or equivalent) in immunology, biomedical sciences, oncology, molecular biology, or pharmaceutics;
• You have experience with immunoassays, molecular biological and biochemical techniques, cell isolation from blood or tissue, and working with animals (Art. 9 certificate is a plus);
• Good collaboration skills;
• Experience with preclinical mouse tumor models is a plus;
• Experience with high-dimensional spectral flow cytometry is a plus;
• Excellent communications skills in English, both written and verbal.