Postdoctoral fellow in clinical virology

The University of Gothenburg is one of the major universities in Europe, with about 38 000 students and a staff of 6 000. The academic work is organized into faculties, a majority of which are based in the central parts of Gothenburg. Education and research are wide ranging and of high quality - as indicated by both by high numbers of applicants and Nobel prizes received.

Postdoctoral fellow in clinical virology

Type of employment: Fixed-term employment, 24 months
Extent: 100 %
Location: Institute of Biomedicine, Göteborg
First day of employment: 2014-01-01
Reference number: PER 2013/406

Subject area
clinical virology

Specific subject description
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV- 2) is the most common sexually transmitted infection causing high morbidity and high costs for society and the individual. Although the need is great, there is currently no vaccine against the infection. We have shown that HSV-2 glycoprotein G (gG -2) is necessary for HSV- 2 spread to the nervous system after genital infection. Based on this observation vaccination trials in mice were performed. After optimization work we have produced a vaccine that provides 100% survival and complete protection against disease but not fully protection against neuronal infection. The following questions will now be investigated : i) identify why gG-2 is essential to infect nervous tissue after genital infection, ii) optimization of the vaccine to prevent neuronal infection, iii) continued preclinical development to demonstrate vaccine efficacy in another animal model. Therefore, we will test the vaccine in a newly introduced rat model, and finally, iiii) investigate how the innate immune system with focus on neutrophils affects the adaptive immune response after vaccination.

Job assignments
Animal experimental work using both mice and rats including for example immunization, blood sampling, and dissecting the dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord. Virological diagnostic methods with for example real-time PCR, plaque staining and ELISA, immunological methods, confocal microscopy, FACS and T cell proliferation. ECL-based methods to measure radical production in neutrophils.

Eligibility
An achieved doctoral degree is compulsory for a position as post-doctor at the University of Gothenburg. The doctoral thesis shall be in a relevant area according to the specific position stated here. Since a position as post-doctor aims to give new holders of the doctorate the opportunity mainly to strengthen and develop their scholarly proficiency, we aim for those who have a doctoral degree not older than 3 years counting from last date of application.

Assessment
The applicant is expected to collaborate with other researchers in a larger team. Relevant documented research experience of animal experimental work in mice and rats and in-depth knowledge on neutrophil activation estimated by radical production and calcium mobilization is deemed necessary.