Postdoctoral Researcher To Develop Strategies To Deliver Antisense Oligos (Asos) To The Brain

Postdoctoral researcher to develop strategies to deliver antisense oligos (ASOs) to the brain

(ref. BAP-2024-728)
Laatst aangepast: 25/11/24

• ASO to antibody/nanobody coupling strategies to increase production yields and obtain soluble conjugates (see e.g. (Sela et al. 2023))
• linker types to allow more efficient cargo release once taken up by the target cells;
• overall yields of the ASO in the brain;
• the half-life of the ASO in the brain;
• the diffusion of the ASO on the brain;
• the delivery to specific cell types in the brain to increase efficiency and/or safety.

• Barker, Scarlett J., Mai B. Thayer, Chaeyoung Kim, David Tatarakis, Matthew J. Simon, Rebekah Dial, Lizanne Nilewski, et al. 2024. “Targeting the Transferrin Receptor to Transport Antisense Oligonucleotides across the Mammalian Blood-Brain Barrier.” Science Translational Medicine 16(760): eadi2245. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.adi2245.
• Cuypers, Marie-Lynn, Tom Jaspers, Jarne Clerckx, Simon Leekens, Christopher Cawthorne, Guy Bormans, Frederik Cleeren, et al. 2024. “Increasing Brain Half-Life of Antibodies by Additional Binding to Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein, a CNS Specific Protein.” doi:10.1101/2024.11.04.621218.
• Sela, Tatjana, Mads Mansø, Michel Siegel, Céline Marban-Doran, Axel Ducret, Jens Niewöhner, Jacob Ravn, et al. 2023. “Diligent Design Enables Antibody-ASO Conjugates with Optimal Pharmacokinetic Properties.” Bioconjugate Chemistry 34(11): 2096–2111. doi:10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00393.
• Wouters, Yessica, Tom Jaspers, Laura Rué, Lutgarde Serneels, Bart De Strooper, and Maarten Dewilde. 2022. “VHHs as Tools for Therapeutic Protein Delivery to the Central Nervous System.” Fluids and Barriers of the CNS 19(1): 79. doi:10.1186/s12987-022-00374-4.

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Responsibilities

• PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, (bio-)medical sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering or a related field
• Excellent analytical, technical, and problem solving skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills; capable of handling multiple tasks
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

• Experience in antibody and/or nanobody development
• Experience working with laboratory mice (FELASA B)
• Experience with delivery of drugs to the brain
• Good understanding of antisense oligonucleotide therapies and/or ADCs
• Strong communication skills
• Project management and effective communication skills
• Experience in supervision of students

• A strong scientific environment
• Possibility to supervise students and technicians and develop an independent research profile
• Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure
• A stimulating, diverse international research environment
• Financial support is available for at least 2 years (renewable one year contract). However, the successful candidate is encouraged to obtain a personal fellowship (Marie-Curie, HFSP, EMBO, or National funding organizations).
• Start date: as soon as possible - the position is available immediately

Motivated candidates with a strong interest in drug delivery to the brain and with a strong commitment to translational research are invited to apply. Please complete the online application procedure and include a CV, a list of publications, a summary of past research and the contact information of 2 to 3 referees. The best-ranked candidates will be invited for an interview.

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Maarten Dewilde, tel.: +32 16 37 94 76, mail: maarten.dewilde@kuleuven.be.

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