Missions

Pharmaceutical compounds are among the new substances of concern found in surface waters at concentrations ranging from ng/L to a few µg/L. Their increased use in human and veterinary medicine leads to their continuous release into systems aquatic, giving them a pseudo-persistent character, thus involving chronic exposure of aquatic organisms. Since most of the molecular targets of these compounds in humans are also present in aquatic invertebrates, it is important to consider their potential effects on non-cible organisms in the environment. The rapid pace of innovation and the introduction of new active ingredients to the market, in addition to the compounds already available, means that a comprehensive ecological risk assessment is not feasible from both an experimental and an ethical point of view. The use of substance grouping and cross-referencing (i.e. read-across approaches) is one of the possible approaches to complement missing data. For non-target aquatic organisms for which information on the mechanisms of action of these pharmaceutical compounds is still poorly known, this approach raises the question of the definition of the notion of analogy. In this context of emerging contamination, bivalve molluscs have the advantage of being able to accumulate large quantities of contaminants present in the water column, such as pharmaceutical compounds. The few ecotoxicological studies on bivalves show that these substances can have rapid effects, even at low concentrations.
As part of the ANR Pharma_CARE project, the recruited person will be in charge of assessing and understanding the (sub)chronic effects of low drug concentrations alone and in mixture on two species of freshwater bivalves, Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena r. bugensis commonly used in ecotoxicological studies. The combination of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic approaches will provide new insights into the fate of compounds in organisms and their effects at different levels of biological integration.

Activités

• Design and conduct experiments for shellfish exposure to psychotropic drugs
• Acquisition, data analysis and interpretation
• Ensure scientific monitoring
• Valorization of results by writing scientific articles and congresses

Compétences

• Skills in ecotoxicology, shellfish physiology
• Experience experimenting with aquatic organisms
• Good knowledge of data analysis tools
• Writing scientific articles and presenting at international conferences in English - Proficiency in English: Written and oral comprehension
• Be organized. e, dynamic and proposal-driven • Rigorous and precise
• Analytical thinking skills
• Teamwork skills
• Interpersonal skills

Contexte de travail

The LIEC, Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Continental Environments, is a UMR University of Lorraine - CNRS spread over 3 sites (one in Metz, two in Nancy). The LIEC brings together a large part of Lorraine's strengths in environmental sciences. It is structured in 5 research teams, 4 poles of expertise that bring together the different technical and experimental means of the laboratory, and a technology transfer cell, ImpactE. https://liec.univ-lorraine.fr/ This recruitment is part of the ANR Pharma_CARE project to study the biological effects of pharmaceutical compounds on several freshwater invertebrates (Coord. L Minguez, LIEC, Metz, lcp-a2mc partners, Labéo Manche).

Contraintes et risques

• Outdoor work (punctually field missions on 1 day) • Possible variability of working hours • Possibility of working on weekends according to experiments • Position located at LIEC-Metz with travel possibilities on LIEC-Nancy