At the van der Wel laboratory, Electron Microscopy Centre Amsterdam (EMCA), we are looking for a post-doc with an interest in Electron Microscopy. The van der Wel laboratory is a small but enthusiastic group working on the subcellular trafficking of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the impact of antibiotics on these pathogenic mycobacteria. We collaborate with national and international institutes on mycobacteria related projects with a focus on microscopy. We specialize in Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy and the combination of these techniques (CLEM). This project is a collaboration with the Coen Kuijl lab from Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, together with Jeffery Buter (Hanze Hogeschool Groningen) Louis Ates (BioNtech Germany) and Roland Brosch (Institute Pasteur Paris) and is sponsored by OenCW NWO M-2.

In the project we will take a chemical approach to study the biology of the most crucial virulence mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The novel developed technique allows specific decoration of the mycobacterial cell surface with any protein of interest. Our preliminary data demonstrate that this technique works and that we can apply it to study a crucial pathogenicity determinant: escape of mycobacteria from the phagosome to the cytosol of the infected macrophage. We and others have demonstrated that the ESX-1 secretion system is responsible for the phagosomal escape of Mtb and that this escape is vital for the infection cycle of this bacterial pathogen. You will together with a PhD candidate in the Kuijl laboratory screen ESX-1 substrates by placing them on the surface of the vaccine strain BCG and monitor phagosomal escape using Electron Microscopy (see van der Niet mSpere., 2021, van der Wel et al., Cell 2007). In addition, the PhD in the Kuijl laboratory will specifically label cytosolic mycobacteria, allowing us to separate them from their phagosomal counterparts and use transcriptomics to identify the adaptive responses associated with phagosomal escape. In this project you will generate fundamental knowledge on the virulence of mycobacteria and the process of phagosomal escape, both important targets of novel treatment strategies.

We are looking for a postdoc candidate with an interest in (electron) microscopy, who can work independently but at the same time is a team player. You will work with Transmission Electron Microscopes ( Tecnai or Talos 120 kV) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (Zeiss Gemini FEG), and supporting equipment. The candidate will perform cryo-sectioning and EM analysis but also use techniques like CLEM, cryo-EM and tomography. Experience with electron microscopy is a benefit but is not essential.