Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering
talented scientists the chance to work on
cutting edge research projects within the open call on “Molecular Biomedicine & Ageing”. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a
community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.
PhD Position: The role of dermal Dendritic cells in skin infection and skin tumors (m/f/d)
Activities and responsibilities
The research group of Johannes Mayer offers the following PhD project:
Type 2 immune responses play an important role in the defense against parasites, effective wound healing and protection against toxins. Type 2 immune responses have however also been associated with detrimental immunity such as allergy, the suppression of proinflammatory immunity and the reprogramming of proinflammatory monocytes and macrophages. Type 2 associated immunity has also been described within the tumor microenvironment of solid tumors, leading to ineffective tumor killing.
While the mechanisms that drive type 2 associated immune responses in solid tumors are still unclear, our preliminary data show that a unique subset of dermal dendritic cells becomes highly activated in models of allergy and anti-parasite type 2 immunity. These Dendritic cells have been linked to the priming of Th2 cells and are also highly activated by S. aureus antigens and present in solid tumors.
We therefore hypothesize that these Dendritic cells play an important role in driving type 2 associated immune diversion in the context of skin tumors and opportunistic bacterial skin infection.
PhD project: The role of dermal Dendritic cells in immune diversion of skin infection and skin tumors
Within this project we have three sub-aims:
Aim 1: Identify the molecular profile of different populations of dermal dendritic cells and define their unique characteristics in driving type 2 immune responses
Aim 2: Define the role of dermal dendritic cells in S. aureus infection
Aim 3: Identify immune diversion mechanisms induced by dermal dendritic cells in skin tumors
This entire project focuses on studies in murine models, as the complex immune interactions analyzed here cannot be studied in vitro and human material from skin infections is not readily available. This projects aims to identify a skin specific immunological mechanism and assess its involvement skin infection and skin tumors.
In Aim 1 you will become an expert in high-dimensional flow cytometry and how to identify different Dendritic Cell subsets in the murine skin and compare those profiles to other tissues. RNA-seq and confocal microscopy will help you define unique molecular signatures and developmental pathways that determine the fate and function of those subsets. With this knowledge you will define their unique characteristics in driving type 2 immune responses using in vivo and in vitro approaches, including allergic reactions, TLR agonists, bacterial and parasite products and tumor cell antigens.
Having determined the unique functionality in dermal DC in type 2 immunity you will investigate their role in promoting opportunistic S. aureus infections (Aim 2) and tumor growth (Aim 3) in in vivo models and use transgenic mice to deplete specific DC subsets at different timepoints.
Studying the dominant T cell responses and clinical outcomes of infection and tumor growth that develop in the presence and absence of dermal DC will help you determine how skin immune responses are diverted in the context of opportunistic bacterial infections and skin cancer and identify novel treatment approaches.
If you are interested in this project, please select Mayer (SkinDC) as your project preference in the IPP application platform.
Qualification profile
Are you an ambitious scientist looking to push the boundaries of research while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then joining the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!
All you need is:
- Master or equivalent
- Interactive personality & good command of English
- 2 letters of reference
We offer
- Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a lively international environment, with English as our working language
- Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
- Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
- Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
- A lively community of more than 200 PhD students from 44 different countries
For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit
www.imb.de/phd.
The deadline for applications is 24 October 2024. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 20-22 January 2025.
Starting date: 1 March 2025 - 1 July 2025