PhD position in the MSCA-DN “CanGoNano”

The selected candidate will become part of the CanGoNano Doctoral Network, benefiting from a unique international research and training environment that brings together leading academic institutions, research centres and industrial partners across Europe.

• A 36-month full-time employment contract funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) programme.

• Competitive salary and employment conditions in accordance with the MSCA regulations and the host institution's policies.

• Enrolment in the PhD Programme in Molecular Biosciences at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

• Personalised scientific supervision by internationally recognised experts in glycoscience, nanotechnology and cancer immunotherapy.

• Access to state-of-the-art research facilities and multidisciplinary expertise at UNIR, UAM and partner institutions.

• International mobility through planned secondments at leading European research organisations and biotechnology companies.

• A structured training programme covering both scientific and transferable skills, including innovation, communication, entrepreneurship, research management and career development.

• An inclusive, collaborative and multidisciplinary research environment committed to excellence in doctoral training.

PhD Position in the MSCA Doctoral Network "CanGoNano" - Glyconanomaterials for the Delivery of Peptide Antigens or mRNA in Breast Cancer Models: Formulation and Anti-Cancer Efficacy

CanGoNano is a European Doctoral Network funded under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) programme. The network focuses on the development of glyconanomaterials (GNMs) as precision tools to advance our understanding of antigen-presenting cell (APC) activation against cancer through the delivery of antigenic peptides and mRNAs encoding these peptides.

Within the CanGoNano consortium, the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR) is recruiting one Doctoral Candidate (DC14) to undertake research on the development of glyconanomaterials for the delivery of peptide antigens or mRNA in breast cancer models.

The candidate will be based in Madrid and Logroño (Spain) and will join the MEDONLINE Research Group at UNIR: https://investigacion.unir.net/grupos/35492/detalle and the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBMSO-UAM: https://www.uam.es/uam/investigacion/grupos-de-investigacion/detalle/f1-95

This PhD project will focus on:

• Characterization and transfection of HER2 breast cancer cell lines.

• Set up of the doses of breast-transfected cell lines, kinetics of tumour progression and immune responses in vivo.

• Evaluation of GNM formulations (including or not adjuvants) and doses to activate immune organs in vivo.

• Examine the capacity of GNM as breast cancer immunotherapies: prophylactic vs therapeutic effects.

• Training in GNM assembly & formulation, anti-cancer immunotherapy, establishing breast cancer in mice, bionanotech, biointeractions.

Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), Spain https://www.unir.net

36 months, starting on 15 February 2027.

• Prof. Carmen Álvarez-Domínguez, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), Spain

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carmen-Alvarez-Dominguez

• Prof. Nuria Gironés Pujol, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nuria-Girones

• Dr. Jürgen Mairhofer, EnGenes Biotech GmbH (Austria)

The Doctoral Candidate will benefit from international secondments within the CanGoNano consortium:

• CNRS (France) - Prof. Catherine Menard-Moyon (Year 2, 1 month): training in the synthesis of amino acid-based nanoparticles (AA-NPs).

• EnGenes Biotech GmbH (Austria) - Dr. Jürgen Mairhofer (Year 3, 1 month): training in lectin expression technologies.

The selected candidate will be enrolled in the PhD Programme in Molecular Biosciences at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain.

https://www.uam.es/EscuelaDoctorado/(en_GB)-Programa-Doctorado_Biociencias_Moleculares/1446833580304.htm

Further information about the CanGoNano Doctoral Network: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/448431 and the application process is available at: https://cangonano.eu/

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