(Ref. BAP-2013-399)
Occupation : Full-time
Period : Fixed-term contract extendable
Place : Leuven
Apply before : August 20, 2013

For Occupational, Environmental and Insurance Medicine we are looking for a Junior researcher for a two year-project.

Nanotoxicology – from in vitro, in vivo to in silicoFeeding data in an in silico model

Our lab on Occupational & Environmental Toxicology has expertise in in vivo and in vitro mechanistic research in several fields with an emphasis on pulmonary and extrapulmonary (cardiovascular) impact of inhaled chemicals and particles.

In vitro toxicology, consisting of the development and use of primary cell cultures from animal and human (surgical) lung specimens; these cell cultures (co-cultures) are being used for the study of the mechanisms of toxicity with an emphasis on oxidative stress, xenobiotic biotransformation, and release of mediators of inflammation and the interaction between pulmonary epithelium and endothelium.

In vivo we have, besides our particle related work, a large body of experience in inflammatory disorders and the measurement of pulmonary function in laboratory animals

Responsibilities
Our understanding of the biological activity (toxicity) of nanomaterials is still incomplete. In-vivo animal studies remain the gold standard; however, widespread testing has proven impractical, and the development of in-vitro assays that correlate with in-vivo activity remains challenging.

To address these concerns, there is an urgent need in developing novel testing strategies. Such a goal requires the implementation of rational risk assessment platforms based on the concept of intelligent testing strategies that enables the integration of computational methods, to reduce reliance on animal testing, along with classical testing methods.Together with other partners we are building a database on the descriptors of nano-toxic effects.

- You feed this database with experimental data from our in vitro & in vivo models
- Other partners in the project will model the data to assess a predictive model for new nanomaterials
- Finally the we will in parallel with the other partners run in vitro and in silico experiments to test the validity of the model system

Profile
MSc Sciences (Biology, Bio-engineer, Toxicology)
MSc Biomedical Sciences (medicine)
MSc Pharmacy

Offer
Project runs over 2 year, candidate will be evaluated on yearly basis.

The salary will be set following the Belgian legal scaling.

Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Peter Hoet, tel.: +3216330197, mail: peter.hoet@med.kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this job no later than August 20, 2013 via the online application tool