PhD student – Development of -content- cellular disease model assays to study ciliopathies

Within the DRIVE-RM consortium we offer a position for an ambitious and enthusiastic PhD student to develop innovative and advanced high-content-based screening assays in patient-derived kidney cell models as a disease model for ciliopathies.

Chronic kidney disease ( CKD ) affects millions globally and remains a major unmet clinical challenge due to the lack of curative strategies. Organoid technology has emerged as a powerful tool to recapitulate organ-specific function in vitro. While progress has been made in other organoid systems, high-throughput and standardized assays in kidney organoids remain underdeveloped. This 4-year PhD project will build upon advances in the field of cellular disease models and high-content screening assays (eg.

Cell Paint) and extend these strategies to kidney organoids. As a PhD student, you will aim to develop high-throughput, standardized, and imaging-based platforms for pre-clinical testing in kidney disease, using patient-derived kidney organoids. Such platforms enable prediction of therapeutic outcomes for kidney patients, particularly those with ciliopathies such as nephronophthisis.

You will work as a PhD student at the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht in both the department of Nephrology and the department of Cellular Disease Models of the UMC Utrecht, and you will collaborate on developing patient-derived cell models to study diseases to improve patient outcome. Our international and multidisciplinary teams with cell biologists, clinicians, lab-automation engineers and data scientists provide an inspiring working environment.

This PhD position is part of the DRIVE-RM consortium ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).), which provides an excellent network of scientists in the field of regenerative medicine in the Netherlands, and includes an elaborate talent development program.

We are looking for a talented and highly motivated PhD student with good communication skills in English. You hold a Master’s degree in Biomedical sciences, (Molecular) Biology, Biotechnology, or an equivalent life science degree, and you are strongly motivated to combine human cell models with state-of-the-art microscopy and lab automation techniques. You have proven experience in advanced cell culture, ideally including work with human adult stem cells and organoids.

Experience and a technical interest in fluorescence microscopy and lab automation techniques (eg. liquid handling, robotics etc.) are an advantage. You bring a solid background in molecular biology and are familiar with techniques such as immunofluorescence staining, cloning, (q)
PCR, transfection or viral transduction, and the generation or use of reporter cell lines. You are comfortable working with high-content imaging readouts and data analysis. Experience with image analysis programming, Python pogramming languange, combined with a tech-sevvy profile will be considered a plus.