The goal of our Lab at the San Raffaele Telethon institute for Gene Therapy (SRTiget) is to dissect the genomic principles of innate immune cell development and activation in crucial biomedical contexts such as hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation and gene therapy, cancer and infection. To this aim, we integrate advanced approaches for epigenomic analyses, single-cell transcriptomics and lentiviral-based functional screens to relevant samples from Clinical Units at OSR.

The proposed projects build on our recent findings (Piccolo et al., Nat Immunol 2017) on the epigenomic mechanisms driving macrophage activation in the presence of antagonistic pro- and anti-inflammatory signals. Here, we propose to extend and exploit these observations in vivo in the contexts of cancer and infections, two pathological conditions characterized by co-existence of antagonistic environmental signals. By exploiting innovative gene therapy tools available at SR-Tiget we aim to therapeutically modulate macrophage activities for immunostimulatory purposes.

The call is open to pre- and post-doctoral fellows with the following requirements: Pre-doctoral: recent Degree in relevant disciplines (top grades) and research experience in competitive laboratories. Fellows are expected to enroll into San Raffaele PhD program in 2017/2018. Post-doctoral: PhD in Immunology or similar; proven track record of publications in recognized journals; documented experience in mouse models/cell sorting/NGS approaches. We offer competitive salary and benefits commensurate to qualifications and experience.

To apply, send a detailed CV, a motivation letter with research interests and contact information for 2/3 referees to Dr. Renato Ostuni (ostuni.renato@hsr.it). Interviews (preselected candidates) will take place from February 2017 until positions are filled.

References: Piccolo et al.; Nat Immunol 2017; Ostuni et al., Semin Immunol 2016; Ostuni et al., Trends Immunol. 2015; Ostuni et al., Cell 2013; Zanoni, Ostuni et al., Cell 2011; Zanoni, Ostuni et al., Nature 2009.

http://www.hsr.it/research/organization/institutes/sr-tiget/renato-ostuni/