Postdoctoral Fellow Translational Research Car T Cell - Foster/Bosse Lab

SHIFT:
Day (United States of America)
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A Brief Overview
Will, under the direction/guidance of a mentor (principal investigator), assume responsibility for a specific, on-going research project. The postdoc experience will serve to extend, refine and enhance skills necessary for professional and career development, and will enable the individual to broaden his/her scientific background by acquiring new research capabilities. It is expected that this individual will conduct independent scholarly research, and will contribute directly to the overall research goals of the project and the research group. Postdocs will be expected to participate in project planning, recording and interpretation/evaluation of data, and communication of results. Postdocs will also be expected to acquire technical, lab management, and manuscript/grant writing skills; and participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions and presentations at national meetings. Postdoctoral fellows also may be required to supervise junior lab members, develop new methods and protocols for research, and assist with the development of other research projects in the lab.
The Postdoctoral Fellow (postdoc) will have a terminal degree PhD, MD, DVM, etc. and will conduct translational pediatric immuno-oncology research focused on utilizing CAR T cells to treat pediatric brain tumors under the direction/guidance of Dr. Jessica Foster and Dr. Kris Bosse at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). Dr. Foster is a neurooncologist with a laboratory focused on translating new CAR T cell therapies to the clinic for pediatric brain tumors (see Foster et al. JITC, 2022; Foster et al. Neoplasia, 2023; Harvey et al. J Vis Exp, 2023 as examples). Her laboratory is investigating novel approaches to target potentially toxic antigens such as GD2, as well as novel CAR antigens including GPC2 and CLDN6. Dr. Bosse's laboratory is focused on understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms driving neuroblastoma tumorigenesis and developing new therapies, including immunotherapeutic strategies, for this and other aggressive pediatric cancers (see Bosse et al., Cancer Cell, 2017; Raman et al., Cell Reports Medicine, 2021; Heitzeneder et al., Cancer Cell, 2022; Pascual-Pasto et al, JITC, 2022 and Foster et al, JITC, 2022 as examples). Specifically, the Bosse laboratory has led the development of GPC2 CAR T cells (and antibody drug conjugates) for pediatric cancers, which are currently being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the pediatric solid tumor neuroblastoma. The postdoc will join these growing Translational Research teams and work on a project focused on utilizing GPC2 CAR T cells to treat pediatric medulloblastomas and high-grade-gliomas, as well as several other more rare but highly lethal GPC2 expressing pediatric brain tumors. Our laboratories work in collaboration with several other laboratories at CHOP/UPenn and with 10 other institutions as part of the St. Baldricks-Stand Up To Cancer Immunogenomics Team focused on developing and validating new immunotherapeutic strategies for pediatric cancers. In addition to testing GPC2 CAR T cells in pediatric brain tumors, multiple other specific projects exist under this umbrella designed to discover and develop novel, impactful new immune-based therapies for children with cancer such as translating current immunotherapies in the lab across other cancers, new immunotherapeutic target discovery in neuroblastoma and other solid and brain tumors, next-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy development, defining mechanisms of tumor cell intrinsic and extrinsic immune escape, deciphering the key biologic functions of prioritized immunotherapeutic targets, dual antigen immunotherapeutic targeting, and correlative biology studies from ongoing clinical trials that developed from work done in our laboratories. Finally, we are also interested in utilizing syngeneic murine models to define critical synergistic CAR T cell therapeutic combinations that can be translated to the clinic. Cancer, molecular biology, and some in vivo mouse experience are required, and familiarity with advanced genomic and immuno-oncology techniques and methods are preferred skills. This job is open to those seeking first or second post-docs.
What you will do

• Conduct independent scholarly research and develop new methods and protocols
• Participate in project planning, recording and evaluation of data
• Acquire technical, lab management and grant writing skills
• Participate in seminars, lectures, poster sessions and presentation at national meetings
• Supervise junior lab members
• Assist with other research projects

• Doctorate Required