The laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism headed by Prof. Peter Carmeliet is one of the laboratories of the Center for Cancer Biology (CCB), a research department of VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) located in the Oncology Faculty at the KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium). The lab of Prof Carmeliet has an open position for a Staff Scientist.
We offer a vibrant international research environment where English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings, and at seminars. The Department employs some 300 people and covers a range of different research areas within Biomedicine. The infrastructure at CCB is well developed with modern laboratories, core and animal facilities.
The Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism headed by Prof. Peter Carmeliet focuses on the development of blood vessels (angiogenesis) and vascular heterogeneity in health and disease, with the ultimate aim to identify novel therapeutic pro-and anti-angiogenic strategies.
Current anti-angiogenesis therapies (AATs), by targeting the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF, suffer resistance and insufficient efficacy. The Carmeliet lab explores opportunities to overcome these limitations and to improve AAT by focusing on endothelial cell metabolism, endothelial heterogeneity and in particular, endothelial immunity. Recent projects, combining single-cell transcriptomics with bulk multi-omics (transcriptomics, (epi)-genomics, proteomics & metabolomics) revealed novel insights in endothelial cell metabolism and heterogeneity in health and disease that can help design novel AAT strategies.
The lab developed and uses innovative integrated approaches (e.g. scRNA-sequencing, Artificial Intelligence(AI-)based tools, multi-omics analysis) to efficiently discover new, biologically important and therapeutically attractive targets. The ultimate goal is to bring promising validated scientific targets, upon translation, to the level of drug development. The project will be conducted in a multidisciplinary environment at the interface of an academic and clinical environment, where animal surgery expertise and clinical samples will be available.
The lab of Peter Carmeliet recently started a twin lab, the laboratory for Angiogenesis and Vascular Heterogeneity, at the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark (https://pecar@biomed.au.dk) which is closely intertwined with his lab at the VIB-KU Leuven, Belgium (https://carmelietlab.sites.vib.be/en). Both the Leuven and new Aarhus lab will function as one virtual lab, and synergistically combine their joint forces and focus to study similar fundamental questions in vascular biology and angiogenesis, and to develop more efficiently new vascular medicine. There will be frequent interactions and exchanges of junior/senior scientists and lab technicians between both labs, offering unique opportunities for multi-disciplinary training at both locations. Complementary settings and conditions at each location will create unprecedented extra-added opportunities to quantitatively and qualitatively increase the research output and translational development at a higher level.
Both the newly starting Aarhus and the Leuven lab apply their expertise and therapeutic focus to evaluate and deliver novel therapeutic concepts into clinical development with the ambition to change the life of patients with vasculature-related disorders. Standard gene modulation strategies (conditional gene targeting/silencing/overexpression) are exploited as well as sophisticated novel disruptive high-throughput multi-omics approaches (bulk and scRNAseq, scG&T, scATAC, etc.) and computational modelling and biology (artificial intelligence, machine learning), both for hypothesis-generating and hypothesis-testing experiments. For instance, recent successful efforts in generating a single-cell transcriptome atlas of endothelial cells (ECs) from various healthy and pathological (including tumor) tissues from preclinical models and clinical patient samples have revealed the existence of previously unknown endothelial cell subtypes, including endothelial cells with a resident endothelial stem cell signature, and endothelial cells with a putative immune-modulatory role (termed “IMECs”), key findings being taken into further investigation. In addition, we developed an innovative AI-based tool to predict novel unknown genes in ECs, and to develop alternative therapies.
A major challenge of current medical research is to translate the obtained high-profile insights into new medicine. Big pharma is not interested in too early-stage scientific results (even when published in high-profile journals) because of the risk that these candidates are insufficiently validated for drug development, while academic scientists generally lack funds to bridge this gap (“the valley of death”) by providing more validation. We aspire to not only discover new therapeutic targets but also to “bridge the valley of death” in order to improve drug development. Spinning out a start-up company belongs to future options (like we did in the past with Montis Biosciences; see https://www.montisbio.com).
The lab is looking for a highly motivated Staff Scientist to help us to achieve the above-stated goals, i.e. (i) to discover new therapeutic targets (using bulk/single-cell multi-omics); and (ii) to bridge the valley of death (by functionally validating these targets).
We are looking for ambitious, dynamic and flexible candidates, willing to step into new adventures, daring to break new grounds outside of their comfort zone, passionate about opportunities to set up new technologies and facilities, not being shy of diving into new fields, being primed and eager to become acquainted with new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, drug target validation, etc.), and prepared to go the extra mile. Candidates should be able to either work independently (and troubleshoot practical work independently), but also to team up with members of the lab (Leuven and Aarhus). In consultation with Prof. Carmeliet and his senior staff, you may be asked to run micro-projects by yourself, where you will get the freedom and responsibility to manage your projects, including supervising junior colleagues, planning daily agendas, and managing budgets, writing papers, designing experiments, etc. You can mentor junior scientists daily, between multiple disciplines and ensure connectivity. You are sufficiently mature to interact with other colleagues via in-person and virtual meetings, communicate in a professional manner, and participate in seminars and grant/manuscript writing.
Staff Scientist candidates will support the achievement of following goals:
(i) translate newly discovered therapeutic targets (using AI-based tools and bulk/single-cell multi-omics)
(ii) bridge the valley of death (by functionally validating novel targets)
(iii) guide independently research projects, under the direct supervision of Prof. Carmeliet, and also team up with other members of the Leuven (and Aarhus) lab
Main practical tasks might consist of:
You will report directly to Prof. Peter Carmeliet.
How to apply?
Applications for this position should be submitted online. If you have questions about this position, please contact Prof. Peter Carmeliet: peter.carmeliet@kuleuven.be or Katie Van Geyte: katie.vangeyte@kuleuven.be.
Please apply via recruiter’s website.
Quote Reference: 47026
© 2022 Springer Nature Limited. All rights reserved.
