About the project

One in two persons in the Netherlands will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. Immunotherapy is a promising addition to classical cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Most immunotherapeutic approaches focus on engaging T cells for tumor cell killing. The van Egmond lab, however, identified neutrophils as additional cytotoxic effector cells. This project aims to recruit neutrophils in addition to T cells as effector cells to improve immunotherapy of cancer. Novel molecules will be developed with antibody engineering, and will be tested in vitro, and in vivo. To reduce animal experiments novel human ex vivo models will be developed. A tumor fragmentation platform and a human ex vivo liver metastases perfusion model will be developed, and you will test if the model can serve as a future platform for drug candidate screens with the ultimate goal to improve outcome of cancer patients. Thus, this translational project encompasses development of novel antibody-based immunotherapy, investigating activation of immune effector cells in vitro and in vivo, and testing of new molecules in complex human patient-derived ex vivo models.

About the role

As a research technician on this project you will:

• Perform neutrophil and T cell functional assays;
• Assist with determining in vivo efficacy of novel antibody-based drugs;
• Develop and validate new ex vivo human tumor models;
• Work closely with our team and collaborators on this project.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic research technician with:

• A Bachelor of Applied Sciences (HLO) degree or equivalent, with affinity for immunology;
• Experience with cellular responses and functional assays;
• Experience with (tumor) model establishment and/or animals (article 13f2) is a pre;
• You have a flexible, pro-active team spirit, but you can also work independently;
• You have good communications skills in English, both written and verbal.

Hepatitis B vaccination is mandatory and will be provided by Amsterdam UMC.

Our offer

• A flying start to your career in research work.
• Plenty of room for your drive to shape tomorrow's healthcare.
• Working on large-scale and in-house research, with motivated colleagues from all corners of the world.
• The intended start date for the project is November 1st, 2024;
• The position is for 3 years. We first offer a fixed term contract for 1 year, which under normal circumstances will be prolonged with 2 years. We also provide you with the opportunity to follow further training and development;
• Salary scale 7M: € 2.975 to € 4.214 gross for full-time employment (depending on education and experience) and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. Calculate your net salary here.
• Holiday hours: 186,4 per year for fulltime and a possibility to save additional hours.
• Pension accrual with Be Frank, a modern, comprehensible and fairly priced pension.
• Now still a (partial) reimbursement of your public transport travel costs. From 1 October, for >7 km each way, 100% public transport reimbursement and, for private transport, €0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km each way.
• Do you prefer walking or cycling? Take advantage of our good bike scheme. And from 1 October, you will receive a reimbursement of €0.18 per km.

Watch this video with more information about joining Amsterdam UMC Research BV.

About the workplace

The project will be performed in the group of Prof.dr. Marjolein van Egmond, which comprises an international, multidisciplinary team with young and enthusiastic researchers. Work will be performed in the department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc Boelelaan (O|2 Building). The van Egmond lab has ample experience working with human neutrophils, and has established multiple functional assays, and relevant mouse models. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with a Swiss-Amsterdam UMC spin-off company, the department of Surgery (Dr. Joris Erdmann) and the Tytgat Institute for Intestine and liver research (Prof.dr. Stan de Graaf), in order to make the project fully translational from bench to bedside. This collaborative TKI project is funded by Health Holland and is embedded in Cancer Center Amsterdam (CCA) and Amsterdam institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (AII).
References
Heemskerk N, Gruijs M, Temming AR, Heineke MH, Gout DY, Hellingman T, Tuk CW, Winter PJ, Lissenberg-Thunnissen S, Bentlage AE, de Donatis M, Bögels M, Rösner T, Valerius T, Bakema JE, Vidarsson G, van Egmond M. Augmented antibody-based anticancer therapeutics boost neutrophil cytotoxicity. J Clin Invest. 2021 Mar 15;131(6):e134680. doi: 10.1172/JCI134680.
Gruijs M, Sewnath CAN, van Egmond M. Therapeutic exploitation of neutrophils to fight cancer. Semin Immunol. 2021 Oct;57:101581. doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2021.

Let's meet

The first round of interviews will be held on September 12th and 13th, and the second round will be in principle on September 19th and 20th.
During the publication period, applications will be handled continuously. If the vacancy is filled, it will be closed prematurely.
If you have any questions about this position, please feel free to contact Mandy Gruijs, via m.gruijs@amsterdamumc.nl or Marjolein van Egmond, via m.vanegmond@amsterdamumc.nl.
For more information about the application procedure, please contact Chey Edwards, Recruitment Advisor, via c.i.edwards@amsterdamumc.nl or via 06 214 87 245.
A reference check, screening and hiring test may be part of the procedure. Read here whether that applies to you. If you join us, we ask you for a VOG (Certificate of Good Conduct).
Internal candidates will be given priority over external candidates in case of equal suitability.
Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.