Project 1

Investigation of the role of HGMB1 in triggering inflammatory response: New biomarker, new drug target (and new hope) for sepsis

Host institute: Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spain (IIBB)
Supervisors: Dr Montserrat Marí (IIBB), Dr Pablo García de Frutos (IIBB)
Co-supervisor: Dr Nadia Soussi-Yanicostas (UP)

Objectives
1. To investigate binding mechanism between HMGB1-TLR4/RAGE receptor and investigate the application of novel imaging probes (developed by the Doctoral Candidate of project 5 (DC5)) as diagnostic tools for sepsis.
2. To investigate HMGB1 in the context of models of sepsis as diagnostic tool.
3. To test novel regulators (identified and developed by DC5) in in vitro assay and in related sepsis animal model.

Expected Results
Decipher the binding mechanism between HMGB1 and TLR4/RAGE and down signalling pathway that triggering inflammatory responses. By using the imaging probes (developed by DC5), the translocation mechanism from nuclear to extracellular space will be revealed.

Secondments
- UP (3 months)
- UU (3 months)
- PharmaTarget (1 month)

Requirements
Qualifications: Eligible candidates must have a master’s degree relevant to the chosen position (including biology, medicine, biochemistry), or must hold an official university qualification from a country of the European Higher Education Area with a minimum of 300 ECTs of official university studies. Good English level is required.
Experience: The applicant should have experience in different basic methodology within the research field of biomedicine and cell biology.
Knowledge & skills: Good knowledge in standard in vitro analytical methods is meritorious (qPCR, Western, ELISA, etc), basics in statistics. Cell culture experience. A Felasa C certificate or equivalent will be highly appreciated.
Abilities: The applicant should be able to critically analyse data, keep-up to date in the relevant scientific literature, be fluent in English in both writing and speech, and have good communication abilities. The ability to independently plan experimental studies is meritorious.
Attitude and disposition: The Praetorian MSCA doctoral network requires abundant traveling and social settings. The applicant should be willing to present research orally and in writing, socialize and network at meetings within the consortium but also at major international conferences and at the home institution. The applicant is expected to voluntary contribute to the science community including engaging in scientific communities and PhD-communities at the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB, CSIC).