The Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), is seeking to develop collaborative proposals IF-MSCA-2015
Brief Description of the Institution
The Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain, is seeking to develop collaborative funding proposals with experienced postdoctoral researchers for submission under European funding programmes in the area of health research. The IRYCIS is a health research institute cantered by a university hospital (Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal) which includes research groups from three Spanish universities.
In 2014 IRYCIS had a portfolio of 109 public research projects, 669 clinical trials, more than 60 innovation projects, more than 30 patent applications and a total of 596 publications with an accumulated impact factor of 2,664.546. We have 16 facilities in our premises, aimed to support research (genomics, proteomics, biobank, biostatistics, microarrays, histology, clinical trials unit, confocal microscopy, etc.)
There are 24 established research groups within IRYCIS organized in five research priority areas:
- Neurosciences and Sensory Organs;
- Microbiology, Immunology and Infection;
- Cancer and Chronic Diseases;
- Epidemiology and Health Technology;
- Cardiometabology and Systems Pathology.
Brief Description of the hosting group
The Diabetes, Obesity and Human Reproduction Research Group (DORH) has a leading international role in the study of androgen excess and chronic metabolic disorders. The DORH group conducts a broad range of clinical studies covering from epidemiology to diagnosis and non-commercial and commercial clinical trials. It also excels in the translation of the results of non-targeted -omic techniques to health problems of clinical relevance. DORH is a small and interdisciplinary research group, including clinical and basic researches that belong to the Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS) and to the Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders (CIBERDEM).
Our current research is now focusing on the effects of sex hormones and its imbalance on the metabolic and inflammatory effects of the different macronutrients. Furthermore we aim to identify of pathogenic markers of diabetes in severe obesity and predictors of its remission after bariatric surgery.
We offer the possibility to work in a highly stimulating clinical environment with a collaborative work atmosphere.
For more information about our group, please, visit the following link
Research Project Description
The DORH group is currently interested in exploring the influence of sex and sex hormones on human chronic disorders of complex etiology. We hypothesize that sex and sex hormones influence, in adults up to the reproductive age, the development and possibly the clinical presentation of many chronic disorders of complex etiology.
The project will involve the study of sex and sex hormones roles in the development of cardiometabolic dysfunction associated with severe obesity in humans, and the identification of biomarkers associated with its improvement after metabolic surgery. Specifically, the candidate will carry out non-targeted -omic approaches followed by classic targeted techniques to identify molecules involved in the development of the disorders under study. These molecules could potentially serve as novel and useful diagnostic biomarkers, prognostic factors and therapeutic targets.
Applying candidates should have a Master Degree in sciences, biology or similar. As the project involves some non-targeted -omics techniques, candidates with a background in these techniques (trancriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) are especially encouraged to apply. Background in biostatistics and data analysis will be positively evaluated as well as flexibility at work, self-motivation, and a positive attitude.
The candidate cannot have been working or staying in Spain for more than 12 months over the 3 years prior to the to the reference recruitment date.
Contact Person
For informal enquiries about the position, please contact H. F. Escobar Morreale hectorfrancisco.escobar@salud.madrid.org
Please, contact us in order to organize the timeline for the preparation of the proposal. The following documents will be required:
- Motivation letter
- CV of the applicant
Brief Description of the hosting group
The HIV-1 Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory is ascribed to the Microbiology and Parasitology Dpt. at Hospital Ramón y Cajal, and belongs to IRYCIS and to the Biomedical Research Network on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP; http://www.ciberisciii.es/grupo?id=12512) and part of the laboratory branch of the HIVDR technical Cooperation Network for Latin American and The Caribbean (HIVDR TCN LAC) sponsored by PAHO. It is lead by Dr. Africa Holguín, senior researcher with 20 years of experience working on HIV variability (Link).
During the last years we have been involved in research projects to study how HIV genetic variability can affect the viral cycle, the HIV molecular diagnostic, the performance of HIV infection quantification assays used to measure the antiretroviral therapy efficacy, the development of drug-resistance viral mutations causing therapy failures, the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy, the HIV molecular epidemiology in different countries across time and the HIV molecular evolution. We have also leaded different research projects in international adult and pediatric cohorts in some countries from Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The group has collaborated with national partners and international public health agencies such as the PAHO and Global Fund.
The main working lines in the HIV-1 molecular Epidemiology lab are:
- The phylogenetic characterization of HIV-1 variants and antiretroviral resistance studies in HIV-1 infected paediatric and adult cohorts from Spain (native/foreigners) and other countries.
- Evaluation of diagnostic, clinical and therapeutic implications of infections caused by HIV-1 non-B subtypes and recombinants, responsible of 90% of the 35 million infections worldwide.
- The analysis of HIV-1 variant´s specific genetic variability in viral coding regions with a therapeutic, diagnostic or biological role for the virus.
- The optimization of the use of DBS (dried blood specimens) for early HIV diagnosis and HIV monitoring of infected patients (diagnosis, drug resistance identification, viraemia quantification and HIV-1 subtyping), according to World Health Organization guidelines.
- To develop and/or to study the performance of faster, cheaper and more sensitive molecular methods for HIV-1 monitoring applicable to all subtypes and recombinants circulating worldwide.
- Advising activities for the design of both HIV research proposals and for implantation of HIV resistance and molecular biology laboratories. Personnel training in molecular biology techniques and HIV monitoring.
In summary, the mission of HIV Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory is a better knowledge of HIV infection (mainly in children) worldwide through different research projects in national and international HIV-infected cohorts, looking for techniques for HIV early diagnosis and viral monitoring with the highest efficacy by using low volume of infected blood in order to improve the clinical early diagnostic and monitoring of HIV-infected patients regardless viral variability.
Research Project Description
The project will be focused on the early screening of different infectious diseases in adults and children from endemic areas using only some drops of patient´s blood collected in filter paper Whatman cards (DBS, dried blood specimens) collected in the first clinical visit of patient to favor an early therapeutical intervention and to avoid losses of clinical follow up while waiting for diagnostic. The project will include the optimization of simultaneous detection (serological in adults, virological in infants) of different concomitant agents such as human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and C virus, cytomegalovirus, syphilis, toxoplasmosis, schistosomiasis, and malaria, among others, comparing diagnostic efficacy with other specimens as plasma/serum. The evaluation of performance of new point of care techniques for each infection will be also considered when available, for increasing the access to test results at the clinic level. Paired plasma-serum/DBS will be collected from both exposed and infected patients under clinical follow up in Spanish Public Health Centers/hospitals and from international cohorts. The applicant will also participate in the optimization of a new molecular assay for quantitative HIV-1 early infant diagnosis developed in the laboratory using DBS.
Applying candidates should have a Master Degree in sciences, biology or similar. Candidates with a background in infectious diseases diagnostic, serological and molecular biology techniques (nucleic acid extraction from clinical samples, PCR optimization, quali and quantitative qPCR, sequencing) and DBS use are especially encouraged to apply. Background in HIV/AIDS, microbiology and data management of clinical cohorts will be positively evaluated as well as flexibility at work, self-motivation, patience, interest, and a positive attitude.
The candidate cannot have been working or staying in Spain for more than 12 months over the 3 years prior to the to the reference recruitment date.
Contact Person
Africa Holguín, PhD.
Head of HIV-1 Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory // Microbiology Department
Ramón y Cajal Research Institute (IRYCIS) // Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: epimolvih@gmail.com // phone: +34 91 3368153
Linkedin: es.linkedin.com/pub/africa-holguín/a5/a1b/67b/
Please, contact us in order to organize the timeline for the preparation of the proposal. The following documents will be required:
- Motivation letter
- CV of the applicant