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Research Fellow in Molecular Virology

Employer
Global Academy Jobs
Location
United Kingdom
Closing date
Nov 1, 2018

Job Details

Are you looking to apply your skills in Virology to gain a new molecular understanding of how viruses assemble and infect cells, and the ways in which such understanding can lead to novel drug treatments or the production of vaccines?

We are looking for an outstanding postdoctoral research fellow to join our Wellcome Trust-funded team that investigates how single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses assemble infectious virions, and how the mechanism of assembly impacts on their uncoating and genome release during the earliest events of infection. This research programme follows our recent discovery of an assembly process that depends on multiple, dispersed, sequence-specific RNA-coat protein contacts across such viral genomes. This mechanism, we term Packaging Signal (PS)-mediated assembly, is replacing earlier ideas based on purely electrostatic interactions to drive assembly. It is inherently druggable, and the research will identify and characterise novel drug targets. Understanding the details of the mechanism in different virus families also permits production of non-replicating virus-like particles with identical antigenicity to the real pathogens that may be useful as synthetic vaccines (see recent papers in Additional Information). 

  • You will use molecular biology, cell culture and protein biochemistry to investigate the detailed molecular mechanisms used by differing viral families to assemble infectious virions, virus-like particles, assembly intermediates and their complexes with cellular receptors. They will also assist in X-ray footprinting of virions and/or RNA SELEX to identify PS sites. The research team consists of four postdoctoral fellows, two based in Leeds in the laboratory of Professor Peter Stockley & two at the nearby University of York in the research group of the co-Investigator, Professor Reidun Twarock.
  • You will work closely with all members of the team in a highly interdisciplinary programme encompassing Structural Biology, Molecular Virology and Mathematical/Computational Modelling. You will have a PhD (or be close to completion) in Molecular Virology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or a related discipline.
  • You will have extensive experience of using functional assays, either in vitro or in vivo, to elucidate biological mechanisms.
  • Experience in viral growth in cell culture would be a significant advantage, but training will be offered to outstanding candidates lacking this experience, provided that they demonstrate evidence of their passion and commitment to learn.Further information about the project and our recent publications are available within the additional information document.

 

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: Professor Peter G Stockley, Professor of Biological Chemistry Tel: +44 (0)113 343 3092; email: p.g.stockley@leeds.ac.uk 

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