Post-Doc in molecular biology and Immuno-genomics (H/F)

ESPCI Paris

The “École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris” (ESPCI Paris PSL) is a “Grande École d’Ingénieurs” with a strong international reputation for research (6 Nobel Prizes) and a member of the Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres). ESPCI is a highly multidisciplinary environment with teaching and research in physics, chemistry, and biology. The project will be directed by Prof. Andrew Griffiths.

Prof. Andrew Griffiths’ Lab

The research activities of the Laboratory of Biochemistry team, directed by Prof. Andrew GRIFFITHS, are centred around droplet-based microfluidics, a powerful new ultrahigh-throughput system in which reaction volumes can be miniaturized by up to a million-fold compared to conventional assays in microtiter plates. This opens up exciting prospects for the development of extremely innovative systems with many applications in both fundamental and applied research. The successful candidate will join a highly multidisciplinary team, with experience spanning biology, chemistry and physics.

Identifying T cell receptors (TCRs) on cytotoxic (CD8+) T cells and the antigenic peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex class I (pMHC-I) that they recognize is critical for understanding immune responses in disease and for the development of immuno-therapies. CD8+ T cells can be stained with fluorescent pMHC-I tetramers and recovered by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). However, while low affinity antigen-TCR interactions elicit significant immune responses, FACS is challenging due to loss of weakly bound pMHC during washing. We propose a high-throughput technology in which pMHC-I tetramers bound to single T cells in microfluidic droplets triggers exponential amplification of a bi-stable molecular circuit, enabling identification of TCRs and cognate antigens by sequencing.

This QLife Grant project brings together 3 partners (Prof. Andrew Griffiths, ESPCI; Prof. Yannick Rondelez, ESPCI; Dr. Marianne Burbage, Curie Institute) with expertise in the droplet microfluidics, molecular circuit and immunology. The aim of the project is to develop a high-throughput single cell technology that allows obtaining paired information of antigen and its cognate T-cell receptor.

Requirements

We are seeking 1 highly motivated postdoc / research engineer, with complementary expertise:

in immunology, molecular biology and next generation sequencing.

Flexibility, autonomy, the ability to work in a highly multidisciplinary team and good interpersonal skills are essential.

Recruitment terms :
Starting date : December 2024
Duration : 1 year with renewal possibility

Salary : according to professional experience