wanted from 01.05.2024 for the Center for Infectious Diseases, Departement of Integrative Virology.

The project starts at the earliest in May 2024 and is currently funded until the end of 2026 with a possibility for extension. The position is supported by intramural funding.

The development of immunotherapies and vaccines mostly relies on testing the efficacy of such approaches in mouse models as a basis for potential subsequent clinical testing. The prognostic value of these small animal models is however often limited and these developments are hampered by the lack of a human-based cell culture system that can generate de novo immune responses. Human tonsil explants support complex immune cell reactions and mount potent recall responses and can be efficiently gene-edited for mechanistic analyses (e.g. Morath et al., 2024 Cell Report Methods, Kaw et al., 2020 Embo J). They can in principle also generate de novo adaptive immune responses but their short life span currently presents a significant barrier towards routine use of these cultures for pre-clinical validation of new therapeutic or preventive approaches. The goal of the project will be to engineer these tissue cultures to improve their life span and immune responses, to characterize B and T cell responses in these cultures, and to establish advanced imaging and genomic methods in this model. Candidates should have a strong background in immunology, experience with primary cell 3D cell culture models will be an advantage.

The laboratory is located in the Center for Integrative Infectious Disease (CIID) with its state-of-the art imaging facility at the heart of the Heidelberg life science campus. We offer an international and highly interactive environment to address projects at the interface of immunology, biochemistry, cell biology, and virology. We are searching for highly motivated candidates with genuine curiosity and passion for science.