Research Technician in Malignant Hyperthermia

Do you have a strong interest in skeletal muscle calcium dysregulation and a working knowledge of cell culture, molecular biology and functional analyses of skeletal muscle cells?

You will join the malignant hyperthermia (MH) research group, working under the direction of Professor Hopkins and Professor Paul Allen. The MH Research Group is based in the Clinical Sciences Building on the St James's University site working on the genetics, molecular and cell biology of MH.MH is a pharmacogenetic disorder of skeletal muscle that is triggered by the commonly used inhalational anesthetics (isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, etc) or the muscle relaxant succinylcholine. It presents predominantly in apparently healthy children and young adults undergoing general anesthesia as a syndrome of hypermetabolism, hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis that is fatal unless aggressive treatment with dantrolene is rapidly instituted. Understanding how mutations in RyR1 and other EC coupling proteins affect skeletal muscle function will not only allow us to facilitate diagnosis, but potentially will allow better understanding of abnormal responses to heat stress.This post is funded by a USA National Institute of Health grant and will contribute to the execution, analysis and interpretation of the mechanisms that are responsible for MH, and the active site(s) of action for the only current therapy, dantrolene.

You will provide support for the processing of muscle samples from murine models of MH. The muscle samples will be used for calcium imaging and to establish myotube cultures for use in the project. You will have laboratory experience, a keen interest in this area of research and will be a well organised individual. Experience of cell culture, molecular biology and tissue handling will be essential. 

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: Prof Philip Hopkins, Professor of Anaesthesia Tel: +44 (0)113 2065274; Email: P.M.Hopkins@leeds.ac.uk

Further Information

The University of Leeds is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and offers a range of family friendly policies. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN and holds the Bronze award. The School of Medicine gained the Silver award in 2016.We are committed to being an inclusive medical school that values all staff, and we are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working