Research Technician (MHLMR1007)

Are you an early career researcher looking for a challenge?  Do you have a background in Cancer Biology, Immunology or Virology?  Can you provide technical support to research projects? Do you want to further your career in one of the UK’s leading research-intensive Universities?

A new paradigm in virus-mediated immunotherapy for liver cancer

We are seeking a research technician to work on a new approach to liver cancer immunotherapy in the laboratory of Dr Stephen Griffin. You will use a range of molecular immunology and cell biology approaches to study therapeutic immune responses to liver cancer, driven by a new virus-based immunotherapy.

Advanced liver cancer is the fastest-growing cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and current targeted therapy extends life expectancy by only a matter of months. However, harnessing the power of our own immune systems – immunotherapy - is showing increasing promise for the treatment of otherwise incurable malignancies. Cancer-killing, or “Oncolytic” viruses are increasingly used to evoke therapeutic immune responses in cancer patients, an example of which is now commonly used to treat malignant melanoma in the skin. We have discovered that modifying a particular oncolytic virus to prevent its ability to replicate dramatically improves therapy in preclinical models of liver cancer, as well as promoting synergy with the targeted cancer drug, Sorafenib.

This four-year project, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), seeks to both optimise and understand how the modified virus co-operates with Sorafenib to evoke immune responses against malignant hepatocytes. In particular, it will explore the immunological mechanisms that distinguish effective therapy within both primary human liver tissue and preclinical models of liver cancer. We will employ a range of techniques spanning functional immunology, molecular virology and cell biology, histochemical and immunofluorescence tissue analysis, as well as next generation transcriptomics designed to discriminate immunological phenotypes. The objective will be to achieve comprehensive understanding of the fundamental processes by which host immune responses target liver cancers, as well as providing the foundation for future clinical studies exploring this novel therapeutic approach.

You will have a background in cancer/cell biology/immunology/virology, and an interest in applying that expertise to the study of tumour immunotherapy. You will join a team of researchers focussing on the mechanisms of virus-host interactions in the cancer field.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Dr Steve Griffin, Associate Professor

Tel: (+44)113 3438637, Email: s.d.c.griffin@leeds.ac.uk 

The University of Leeds is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and offers a range of family friendly policies. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN and holds the Bronze award. The School of Medicine holds the Gold award.  We are committed to being an inclusive medical school that values all staff, and we are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working arrangements from our employees.

Closing Date: 27 Feb 2020
Category: Technical Support