Postdoctoral Research Associate for 3 years
Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology
King's College London, UK

Location: London                                                                        Placed on:23rd September 2014

Salary:      £32,277 to £34,233 per annum                        Closes:       16th October 2014

                    plus £2,323 London Allowance

                    per annum depending on relevant

                    qualifications and experience                        

Hours:      Full time                                                                       Job Ref:     THW/14/059639/228

Contract:Contract / Temporary

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This position is a Kidney Research UK funded postdoctoral research post in Dr Qihe Xu's group in the Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology.

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The project is entitled “MiR-acles in collecting ducts underelie albuminuria-induced renal fibrosis”. The overall purpose of the job is to undertake a research programme investigating the role of microRNAs (miRs) in collecting ducts (CDs) in proteinuria-induced renal fibrosis.

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In chronic kidney disease (CKD), which affects 8-16% world’s population, albuminuria accelerates progression to renal fibrosis and end-stage renal failure. Albumin damage to CDs is believed to play a role in this detrimental effect. We hypothesise that urinary albumin sequesters retinoic acid (RA) in CDs, represses expression of RA-dependent anti-fibrotic miRs in CDs, and thus causes renal interstitial fibrosis.

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In this project, the above hypothesis will be tested in CKD patients with and without heavy albuminuria (by team members at Cardiff University, UK), in kidney tissues of mice with Adriamycin-induced nephropathy (by team members at the University of Florence, Italy) and in cultured CD cells and renal fibroblasts (the main focus of this research post). Through addressing the proposed albuminuria-RA-miRs-target genes axis and intervening strategies, this project is designed to understand the molecular and cellular mediators of albuminuria-induced renal fibrosis. It will also likely provide novel preventive and therapeutic strategies.

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The Research Associate will be expected to plan and carry out experiments independently, and design new experiments on the basis of results obtained.
Applicants should have an understanding of molecular and cell biology techniques. Experience in cell culture and molecular biology techniques for studying gene expression at various levels is essential; previous experience in miR studies, cell co-culture and in-vitro transient and stable transfection is desirable. Additional knowledge of the kidney, CKD and CKD animal models will also be an advantage.

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This is a fixed term contract for 36 months.

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The closing date for applications is 16 October 2014 at midnight.

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The interviews are scheduled for 3 November 2014.

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For an informal discussion of the post, please contact Dr. Qihe Xu via email at qihe.xu@kcl.ac.uk.

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To apply, please click here