Kick-start your career doing bench-to-bedside research in a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary centre where clinicians & scientists work side-by-side.
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute are seeking a highly motivated and driven candidate, with a strong desire and aptitude to pursue an academic or industry-based research career, for an NHMRC-funded project. Located in the MCRI’s Genetic Disorders theme, the successful candidate will pursue a PhD in the Bruce Lefroy Centre (BLC). The BLC conducts clinical, laboratory and translational research into a variety of neurogenetic disorders. The BLC’s Genetic Health Research team, led by Prof. Martin Delatycki, develops cellular and genetic therapies for the neurological disease Friedreich ataxia (FRDA). FRDA is an autosomal recessive disorder with an average age of onset of 10 years. Clinical features include a progressive neurodegeneration with affected individuals often wheel-chair-dependent by the age of 20 years. Heart disease (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) is the leading cause of death between 40-50 years of age.
FRDA is caused by a trinucleotide repeat in the first intron of FXN which leads to reduced frataxin, a mitochondrial protein important for iron metabolism. Individuals with FRDA have lower levels of frataxin compared to unaffected individuals in the population. Debilitating diseases such as FRDA have limited options in the clinic. This translational project aims to develop a safe and efficacious treatment for FRDA by increasing frataxin levels to ‘normal’ to potentially slow or halt disease progression. We will evaluate a series of self-inactivating lentiviral vectors that express frataxin in cells isolated from individuals with FRDA, and determine if bone marrow cells provide benefit using FRDA mice. Molecular and cellular applications will be used (DNA plasmid construction, PCR, lentiviral vector production, RNA/protein expression and enzyme assays, tissue culture, transplant, flow cytometry and small animal handling). Excitingly, safe and efficacious correction of FRDA could provide a much-needed treatment option in the clinic.
The PhD candidate must have completed a B.Sc. (Hons), or equivalent tertiary science qualification, majoring in biomedical sciences or biotechnology. A candidate with a scholarship is desirable, but not essential. The stipend paid will be above standard APA rate. The primary supervisor will be Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea, a core member of Genetic Health Research. Dr Evans-Galea has mentored and supervised students and staff at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in both Australia and the USA, and strongly supports their professional development and transferable skills training.
Visit our careers page for more information: www.mcri.edu.au/careers-stu...#job1067
CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFO: Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea, ph. 0488-438-001
Applications close at 9am Friday 12 April 2013
To apply:
Send your application to recruitment@mcri.edu.au with the following:
- CV
- Details of two academic references
- Cover letter detailing why you are interested the project, and long term research goals
- Academic transcripts