Job ID: 123411
Postdoctoral research position on gene therapy
Position: Post-doctoral Position
Deadline: 30 September 2025
Contract Length: Up to three years
City: Milan
Country: Italy
Institution: San Raffaele Research Hospital
Department: Division of Neuroscience
Description:
We are seeking for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with a PhD in the field of neurobiology and documented experience in molecular biology/genetics and/or brain functional studies in mice (calcium imaging, electrophysiology, neuronal circuitry mapping) interested in gene therapy methodologies and applications for neurological disorders.
Our lab has a strong interest in elucidating the underlying mechanisms of developmental and age-related neurological diseases, creating new disease models using patient-derived stem cells and advancing gene and cell therapeutic applications for their treatments.
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate for a research position under the supervision of Dr. Vania Broccoli at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute/CNR-Institute of Neuroscience in Milan for a project focusing on the validation of a new gene therapy approach for Ataxia Telangiectasia.
Ataxia Telangiectasia is one of the most common genetic ataxias leading to early and severe loss of purposeful movements, associated to immunodeficiency, high risk of tumor and orphan of a cure. This disease is caused by recessive mutations in the ATM gene which encodes for a kinase with prominent role in orchestrating response to DNA damage and other cell stress stimuli. The lab has developed a new methodology which creates the basis for the first time to rescue ATM gene expression providing an unprecedented opportunity to develop a gene therapy approach to treat neurological and peripheral symptoms with strong clinical potential.
The candidate will work on:
- Optimizing gene therapy vectors and delivery routes with translational relevance
- Validating this therapeutic application in truly innovative cellular and animal models of the disease
- Understanding the symptomatic reversibility window in Ataxia Telangiectasia
- Assessing new neurological deficits in ATM cellular and animal models and their reversibility after gene therapy
The ambition of this project is to provide a strong proof-of-concept of the efficacy and safety of this gene therapy approach in valuable disease models to establish the necessary framework for moving forward with clinical application.
The candidate will integrate in a lab with strong multi-disciplinary interests, endowed in a very stimulating environment and passionate to apply novel gene editing tools for the cure of neuropathologies.
The position is immediately available and renewable for up to three years. Salary will be commensurate to the experience and seniority of the candidate.
Interested candidates should send their application to: broccoli.vania@hsr.it or vania.broccoli@cnr.it including the complete CV and contact details of at least two referees. Selected candidates will be directly contacted for interviews until the position is filled. More information about the research team can be found on the Vania Broccoli’s laboratory websites @
https://research.hsr.it/en/divisions/neuroscience/stem-cells-and-neurogenesis.html;
http://www.in.cnr.it/index.php/it/9-people/117-vania-broccoli;
http://www.vaniabroccolilab.com.