Post-doctoral Research Associate

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Vacancy Reference No: RI10222  Salary: £27,428-£35,788

Limit of tenure applies*

This is a 3 year Action Medical Research funded post-doctoral research associate post in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Cambridge University. It will involve characterisation of the effects of null mutation of the paraoxonase-3 (Pon3) gene in the mouse. The key aims of the project are to determine: (1) is absence of Pon3 associated with oxidative stress in neonatal life? (2) is absence of Pon3 associated with oxidative stress in fetal lung explants exposed to elevated PO2? (3) can oxidative stress associated with absence of endogenous Pon3 be reversed by recombinant Pon3? The background has been published in JCEM 2010 and Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2011 (PMID 20463093 & 21952037, respectively).

The project will involve studies of null mutant mice using fetal lung explants, manipulation of oxygen tension using a Biospherix controlled oxygen chamber, gene array, qRT-PCR/TLDA, Western blot, in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry The Department has other active projects using all of these methodologies.

A patent has been filed by Cambridge Enterprise for the use of PON3 as a treatment for preterm human infants. If the study yields positive findings, there is potential, therefore, for the work to be directly relevant for human health.

Please download the further particulars.

Applications should contain a 1-page covering letter, short CV with the names and addresses of three referees and a completed CHRIS6 form, which can be downloaded from http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/forms/chris6/ please email your application to Joanne Hackett, Administrator jh483@medschl.cam.ac.uk.

* Limit of tenure: 3 years.

Closing date: 4 December 2011.