The laboratory of Prof. Massimo M. Santoro at University of Padua is seeking a post-doctoral fellow to study the role of metabolism in cancer growth and spreading. Our lab has recently identified a set of novel metabolic enzymes that are crucial for the regulation of lipid metabolism and antioxidant response (Mugoni et al., Cell, Mugoni et al., Nature Protocols, Santoro, Cell Metabolism; Arslanbaeva and Santoro, Redox Biology, Facchinello et al.,Nature Metabolism, in press). Using mouse genetic approaches as well as advanced molecular and metabolic techniques we want to elucidate how lipids and metabolism regulate cancer survival and progression. Our laboratory has acquired strong experience in the field of metabolism, genetic, molecular and cellular biology working with cells and animal models.

The Research Strategy and Communication Office supports the SR-Tiget Director in a variety of strategic and operational activities, including strategic planning, reporting, internal and external communication. The Research Strategy and Communication Officer, reporting to the Research Strategy and Communication Manager, will provide highly organized and efficient support to the Office operations with a specific focus on the production of scientific content and documents, and organization of scientific events.

The aim of this project is to clarify the functional and structural relationships between respiratory complexes I and III to understand whether their supramolecular organization in supercomplexes can mitigate the effect of deleterious mutations in cytochrome b,one of the catalytic core subunits of complex III. To this purpose, biochemical approaches will be applied in human and bacterial cellular models carrying mutations in cytochrome b to analyze the structural stability and enzymatic activity of complex III in its isolated form or in assembled supercomplex I+III. The biochemical approaches will be associated with molecular dynamics simulations of supercomplex I+III by modeling wild type and mutated cytochrome b to obtain information on critical interactions between the two complexes for supercomplexes stability. From this project, we expect to obtain new knowledge on the structural and physiological relevance of supercomplexes healthy and pathological conditions.

PhD positions are available in the course of Medical-Surgery BioTechnologies and Translational Medicine in the lab of prof. Francesca Gioia Klinger, at University of Rome Tor Vergata, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Section of Histology and Embryology. The research lab focus mainly on advanced techniques to protect and preserve the ovarian reserve in human and in mice models. In line with this, the research concentrate on the discovery of new molecules to be used as fertoprotective agents and the use of mesenchymal stem cells and their released factors to improve and preserve the ovarian environment

This new project is focusing on new regulatory mechanisms of metabolism and their relevance for cancer metastasis, funded by a Worldwide Cancer Research grant. The current research of the lab is focused on mechanotransduction and how this regulates signaling and metabolism.