Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM) is a biomedical research center located on the Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades campus. It benefits from numerous state-of-the-art core facilities. The Campus has a long-standing reputation for scientific excellence (8 principal investigators (PIs) at INEM received ERC awards) and key pioneering medical contributions (e.g. transplantation, biotherapy, gene therapy). It provides a vibrant environment for basic research and translational innovation. Two new treatments coming out of INEM were FDA-approved in 2023.
The team “Immunity in Health and Disease” is dedicated to understanding how regulatory T and B lymphocytes interact with immune cells and tissue resident cells during health and disease. Previous work of the team led to the discovery that B cells could regulate immunity through the provision of IL-10 and IL-35 (Nature Immunology 2002, Immunity 2010, Nature 2014, Immunity 2018), and the finding that B cells contributed to the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease through the production of IL-6 (J Exp Med 2012).
The team is now interested in the interaction between regulatory T or B lymphocytes and tissue resident cells, with a focus on the central nervous system in the context of neuroinflammation and the prostate in the context of non-inflammatory pathological tissue growth. This research is based on strong background such as the establishment of a protocol to produce pure regulatory B cells that cure recipient mice from ongoing inflammatory disease in adoptive cell therapy (Science, in revision; 3 patents).
In this context, the team is seeking 2 talented post-doctoral scientists to develop the two funded projects on the central nervous system and on the prostate, respectively. The projects will involve state-of-the-art single cell transcriptomics, machine learning, multiplex imaging, and multidimensional flow cytometry to tackle the associated questions in experimental models and clinical samples. The goals of these projects are to decipher how regulatory T and B lymphocytes promote tissue repair and modulate tissue growth in inflammatory (neuroinflammation) and noninflammatory (prostate hypergrowth) diseases, with the long-term perspective of elaborating novel therapeutic strategies for such diseases.
The positions are open. Salary will be according to experience following INSERM regulation.
How to apply
Please send your application via email in English with CV, a brief outline of previous research, and contact details of three references to:
Simon Fillatreau: simon.fillatreau@inserm.fr ; simonfillatreau@gmail.com
INEM- Team – Immunity in Health and Disease, 156-160, rue de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris, France
About the host laboratory
The host team - Cellular & Membrane Dynamics in Stress Response, Etienne Morel - is part of the Cell Biology Department at Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM). Our lab research is focused on molecular and cellular aspects of stress response and autophagy machinery mobilization, including membrane remodeling and trafficking.
INEM is an international biomedical research center located on the Necker campus, and supported by the INSERM, CNRS, and Université Paris Cité. The Necker campus encompasses as well the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital and the Imagine Institute. Moreover, the Necker campus and INEM benefit from several core facilities including animal facility, histology, flow cytometry, imaging, image analysis, genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, viral production, and metabolomics.
About the project
Autophagy is a cellular process responding to homeostasis alteration and initiated by the de novo formation of autophagosomes. Autophagosome biogenesis requires a complex sequence of events that allow for the nucleation of the phagophore from the omegasome, a transient and specialized domain of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. These early steps of autophagy are associated with phase transition, phosphoinositides metabolism, membrane contact-sites and local lipid-delivery. Our previous work shows that ER-plasma membrane contact-sites (Nascimbeni et al. EMBO J. 2017) and ER-endosomes interface (Da Graca et al. Life Sci. Alliance 2022) are mobilized for autophagosome biogenesis in response to nutritional stress. This strongly suggests that ER spatial organization is directly connected with pre-autophagic machinery functional activation. While cytoskeletons are known in membrane trafficking, their specific involvement, especially F-actin and intermediate filaments (IFs), in phagophore formation remains unclear. Leveraging our preliminary data and literature insights, our project aims to decipher the cytoskeletons interplay at ER membrane platforms during the early stages of autophagosome biogenesis.
Your profile
We are seeking a highly motivated and creative candidate (m/f) with a strong drive for independent research.
International candidates with a PhD in molecular and cellular biology obtained during the past four years and with a strong background in the fields of membrane trafficking and autophagy are encouraged to apply.
The two-year position is available starting summer 2024.
How to apply
Please send a concise cover letter with a statement of research interest and summary of previous research activity, a detailed curriculum vitae, and two reference letters to Etienne Morel: etienne.morel@inserm.fr Applications will be considered upon submission with a deadline on March 1st, 2024.
Additional information
Key-words: autophagosome biogenesis, membrane remodeling, cytoskeletons, ER
Recent publications from the Morel Lab at the following link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Morel+E&sort=date
The "Cystic fibrosis and other epithelial respiratory protein misfolding diseases" lab is excited to announce an opportunity for a dedicated and motivated postdoctoral fellow to join our research team, located at INEM - Institut Necker Enfants Malades in Paris.
Our research aims to understand the inflammation pathways remodeled by highly efficient CFTR modulation including the protease anti-protease balance, oxidative stress and interaction with innate immune cells. This will be based on a multi-omic approach of patient primary airway cultures under different experimental conditions and study of sputum samples collected longitudinally in a pediatric cohort.
The ideal candidate will have expertise in standard molecular biology techniques and mammalian cell culture; experience in inflammation is desirable but not essential.
Highly motivated candidates with a PhD or MD, PhD are welcome to apply. Applicants should possess strong laboratory, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills.
INEM is located in the Necker Hospital campus which provides an exceptional scientific and academic environment. Administered jointly by INSERM, CNRS and the Université de Paris, INEM benefits from close contacts with clinicians and state-of-the-art technological platforms in one of France’s foremost research centered universities.
The successful candidate will be offered a 24-to-36-month contract with salary depending on experience. This position is available immediately, though start date is flexible.
Interested candidates should email a brief cover letter indicating their research interests, experience and career goals, CV, and contact information for reference to isabelle.sermet@aphp.fr