3 year Post-doctoral position available in Roscoff, Brittany, France

Location: Roscoff marine biology laboratory, “Protein Phosphorylation & Human Disease” group (a 16 people group directed by Dr. Laurent Meijer; www.sb-roscoff.fr/CyCell/).

Context: The PP&HD group has acquired strong expertise in the search for, identification, optimization and characterization of pharmacological inhibitors of disease-relevant protein kinases. Its most renown molecules are roscovitine, purvalanol, indirubins, paullones, hymenialdisine, meriolins. Roscovitine is currently in phase 2 clinical trials against non small cell lung cancer and nasopharyngal cancer and in phase 1 and preclinical studies against various kidney diseases (such as glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney diseases). The laboratory has solid experience in the study of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), glycogen synthase kinase -3 (GSK-3) and casein kinase 1 (CK1).

Project: the post-doctoral project will be focused on the study of selected protein kinases (such as CDKs, GSK-3, CK1, Map kinases) orthologues from the unicellular parasites Leishmania and Plasmodium. It will also involve the optimization and characterization of some inhibitors of these kinases in view of their potential use to treat leishmaniosis and malaria. One aspect of the project will involve the final characterization of a family of inhibitors, discovered in the laboratory, which displays exquisite selectivity for Plasmodium GSK-3 and has no effects on mammalian GSK-3. It may also affect the GSK-3s of other pathogenic protozoa (such as Toxoplasma, Trypanosoma, Leishmania, etc…). This part of the work will be carried out in collaboration with a group of chemists who are taking care of the chemical optimization of the compounds family.
The post-doc will benefit from technical help and a fully equipped lab and screening platform.

Salary: financed through an EEC FP7 about 2,000 €/ month, social insurance is included.

Applicants should have solid experience in molecular biology and cell biology, and some experience in biochemistry.

Contact: L. Meijer at  meijer [at] sb-roscoff [dot] fr - tel. +33.2.98.29.23.39