美国俄勒冈健康与科学大学招聘研究助理

美国俄勒冈健康与科学大学招聘研究助理

2010-11-18 聘教网

Laboratory Manager Position – Zundel Lab.
Position: Laboratory Technician
Division of Molecular Radiation & Cancer Biology
Department of Radiation Medicine
Oregon Health & Sciences University
Biomedical Research Building (BRB)
Laboratory – BRB-440A/B & 431
Office – BRB-319
3055 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, OR 97239
Office: 503-494-4596

Job Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology, biochemistry or related field and one year laboratory experience is required. A demonstrated proficiency in tissue culture, recombinant DNA techniques, protein expression, purification and characterization, early phase drug development and/or the use of transgenic models of cancer is strongly desired.

Job Description

Department: Radiation Medicine

Job Description: The Laboratory Technician will be responsible for bench experimentation under the direction of Dr. Zundel or senior lab personnel. This person will assist is maintaining the equipment and supplies required for ongoing operations in a 3-10 person lab.

Expertise in the following techniques & duties is essential:
• This individual must be personable, proactive in establishing inter-lab and inter-departmental rapport and portraying a positive “can do” attitude at all times.
• Ensure supplies, equipment and resources are available in order to complete projects.
• Outstanding organizational skills
• PCR and cloning
• Western-blotting
• Mammalian tissue culture

Expertise in at least some of the following techniques is highly desirable:
• Mass spectrometry, MALDI-MS & ESI-MS/MS
• Expression library construction and functional genomic screening.
• Protein FPLC/HPLC separation chemistries, particularly affinity applications.
• Recombinant protein expression
• Assays related to chromosome instability.
• Transgenic & immune-deficient mouse colony maintenance & husbandry.
• Fluorescence & confocal microscopy.
• FACS & FRET applications.
• Drug pharmacodynamics & pharmacokinetics assays.

Research Description

The unifying focus in the Zundel laboratory is the elucidation of cellular responses to changes in extracellular oxygen by characterizing acute hypoxic/reperfusic (h/r) responses (gene-expression, protein expression, cytokine/growth factor secretion, Post-translational modifications, cell metabolic profiles,.. etc) to cellular and tissue –specific phenotypes. In particular, we are interested in how h/r responses affect tumor initiation and progression and how these responses can be manipulated to kill the tumor. It is well documented that all solid tumors have poorly developed vasculature. This results in thousands if not millions of micro-ischemic events over the lifespan of the tumor. Such stress puts selective pressure to accumulate mutations, amplifications or LOH and epigenetic alterations that promote tumor survival to such conditions. Such selection results in tumors that are resistant to apoptosis, have deregulated G1, G2 and Spindle checkpoints, are prone to invade surrounding tissue and metastasize. However, we hypothesize that these tumors have selected for specific h/r response pathways and have become dependent on them for continued cellular survival.

Therefore, the first goal of the Zundel Lab is to identify h/r responsive pathways. We accomplish this by studying enzymes that utilize O2 directly to modulate the function of their substrates. An example of this is our continued elucidation of the PHD/pVHL pathway. PHDs are O2-dependent enzymes that hydroxylate the prolines of specific target proteins that are then recognized and degraded by the pVHL ubiquitin E3 ligase (UbE3). We are in the process of further characterizing how this cullin-dependent functions and identifying novel targets that it ubiquitylates. During the course of these studies, we have identified regulatory processes critical for h/r responses and tumor growth. Targeting such processes genetically has resulted in specific tumor death. Thus we are developing homology-based inhibitors of such critical nodes in the h/r pathways as both frontline or adjuvant therapies to control cancer initiation, development and metastatic outgrowth. This example is typical of our approach, which is to pursue therapeutic intervention strategies as quickly as we identify critical nodes in the h/r pathways. Ultimately, we believe that some of these therapeutics will also have significant impact on other h/r related pathophysiologies (cardiac ischemia, stroke, and inflammatory diseases, etc.).

Thus, while exploring mechanisms of oxygen-directed responses, the Zundel laboratory has revealed novel areas of basic cellular functions from protein degradation to chromosome segregation to stem cell recruitment and vasculogenesis. We combine both cutting edge biochemical, genetic and pharmacologic methods in the most relevant model systems to approach these questions in as comprehensive a fashion as possible. This “systems” approach to understanding ischemic responses generates a lab. atmosphere that supports and rewards hard work, innovation and imagination.

Institute, Department & Lab. Description

Oregon Health & Science University is ranked in the top tier of universities nationally, offers rewarding and challenging employment opportunities to qualified candidates in a wide range of disciplines. The Zundel lab. is part of both the Depts. of Radiation Medicine and Physiology-Pharmacology and has strong ties to the Knight Cancer Center and the affiliated Cancer Biology Graduate Program. Dr. Zundel is the Director of the Division of Molecular Radiation & Cancer Biology at OHSU and the affiliated Program in Drug Discovery. Multiple opportunities at local, regional, national and international levels are available for lab members to present their research, learn new techniques and applications, and form collaborations with the scientific community.

Please send a C.V. containing a list of 3 references to zundelw@ohsu.edu.