Description du sujet de thèse

Call for applications: PhD thesis on “the generation, characterization and engineering of nanobodies targeting nicotinic receptors”. The Signaling and Receptor Dynamics group and the Antibody Engineering platform at the Institut Pasteur in Paris are seeking a motivated candidate for work in biochemistry and neurobiology. The successful candidate will initially be recruited on a 36-month contract funded by a PhD scholarship.
The successful candidate will conduct alpaca immunization experiments, phage display library screening, protein production and purification, cell culture, pharmacological characterization of binding and electrophysiology, as well as site-directed mutagenesis. The goal will be to develop a series of nanobodies specific to certain subtypes of brain nicotinic receptors, to characterize their functional effect on the receptors, and to identify their binding epitope.
Candidates should have a master's degree in biology, biochemistry, or pharmacology. Previous experience in protein biochemistry and/or antibody production will be appreciated. The ideal candidate should be comfortable working in an interdisciplinary environment.

Contexte de travail

The thesis will be carried out in co-supervision between the “Signaling and Receptor Dynamics” team, under the supervision of Pierre-Jean Corringer, and the antibody engineering platform under the supervision of Pierre Lafaye. The “Signaling and Receptor Dynamics” team is part of the UMR CNRS “gene synapses and cognition” and the Department of Neurosciences at the Institut Pasteur. The Institut Pasteur in Paris is internationally recognized and offers a dynamic social and scientific environment in the heart of Paris. The laboratory studies the structure and function of pentameric receptor-channels, in particular to understand the structural bases of ion channel activation and regulation by small molecules. All projects in the laboratory are interdisciplinary and combine structural and functional approaches, involving biochemistry, cryo-EM, pharmacology and electrophysiology (https://research.pasteur.fr/fr/team/signaling-and-receptors-dynamics/). The antibody engineering platform is expert in the generation and engineering of nanobodies, via the immunization of alpacas, the screening of libraries by phage display, and the production of nanobodies and their mutants (https://research.pasteur.fr/fr/team/antibody-engineering/).

Contraintes et risques

No risks identified