Call Expression of Interest MSCA Postdoctoral fellowships at UNIGE – N. Zebrafish Mo

Description - Call for Expression of Interest for a joint application under the upcoming Call for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

University of Genoa, UNIGE, located in Genoa, ITALY, welcomes postdoctoral researchers of any nationality, with an excellent track record, to apply to the European Commission Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026. Our University has been beneficiary of several MSCA-PF in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

The Marie Sklodowska Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship is one of funding scheme of the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Research & Innovation programme, dedicated to excellent research promoting international mobility, as well as interdisciplinary and intersect oral exchanges.

MSCA fellowship grant provides a competitive salary plus mobility and family allowances if applicable, as well as a contribution to cover research, training and networking costs. The research projects will have 2- or 3-years duration.

Selected candidates will be provided with special support for proposal writing and development
.

The University of Genoa will organize in May the fifth edition of the
Masterclass MSCA@Uni Ge.Selected candidate researchers will have the opportunity to attend a 2-days online intensive training and coaching course on how to write a successful proposal.This masterclass is a pathway of support to candidates and their supervisors in preparing project proposal, includingprescreening activity of the draft proposals and the organisation of dedicated B2B meetings, by the European Research Office of Uni Ge, National Contact Point and other experts.

The masterclass will take place in Spring
2026
.

Alexander Disease (AxD) was first described by the New Zealand pathologist William Stewart Alexander in 1947, who described the case of a 15-month-old child. The pathological examination revealed abundant inclusions in hypertrophic astrocytes present throughout the white matter and around the surrounding blood vessels, both in the brain and spinal cord. These abnormal structures were named Rosenthal fibers (RF), after the German neuropathologist Werner Rosenthal who first described them.

This rare neurodegenerative disease affects astrocytes in the nervous system, which are the most abundant type of glial cells or neuroglia. AxD is part of neurodegenerative leukodystrophies characterized by an alteration of myelin, which is the sheath generated by oligodendrocytes that wraps concentrically around the axons of neurons forming a fatty coating that insulates nerve fibers and promotes the rapid transmission of impulses.

In leukodystrophies, such as AxD, mutations in the GFAP (Glial Acidic Fibrillary Protein) gene, which maps to chromosome 17q21, cause an aberrant conformation of this protein, which instead of forming normal filaments, becomes prone to aggregating into Rosenthal fibers (RFs) within astrocytes. This causes stress and death of astrocytes, impairs maturation and function of oligodendrocytes which in turn causes myelin deterioration and impairment of nervous system functions.

The project aims to better understand the neuropathogenic mechanisms underlying this disease using an in vivo zebrafish model. This approach will also help clarify similar aspects of other leukodystrophies and/or genetic diseases that affect the nervous system, which could also open up new therapeutic possibilities research project aims to develop and apply zebrafish (Danio rerio) models to investigate rare genetic and neurodegenerative diseases, with a specific focus on Alexander disease.

Owing to its high genetic conservation with humans, transparent embryos, and rapid development, zebrafish enables in vivo analysis of disease mechanisms. Functional and phenotypic analyses will be combined with molecular and imaging approaches to characterize disease progression. In addition, the zebrafish model will be used for high-throughput screening of candidate therapeutic compounds, with the ultimate goal of identifying novel targets and treatment strategies for Alexander disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.

The Developmental Neurobiology Laboratory of DISTAV, within the Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Genoa, is fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and instrumentation for advanced biological research. The laboratory includes dedicated rooms for eukaryotic cell and bacterial cultures, each equipped with laminar flow cabinets, as well as a designated area for the handling of genetically modified organisms.

A specialized laboratory for in situ hybridization experiments, equipped with stereo microscopes, is also available. Additional facilities include laboratories for molecular biology with multiple PCR and real-time PCR systems, histology, and advanced fluorescence microscopy, including epifluorescence, Thunder imaging, and confocal microscopy.

The laboratory also hosts a fully authorized zebrafish facility for the maintenance and…