Two postdoctoral research posts are available in Professor Antal Rot’s recently established Chemokine Research Group located in the MRC Centre for Immune Regulation at the University of Birmingham. These posts provide an exciting opportunity to join a world class research group. Professor Rot’s laboratory is based in the recently built Institute for Biomedical Research providing intellectually stimulating environment and state-of-the-art research and core facilities to support advanced studies on microenvironmental control of immune response and other fundamental aspects of autoimmunity, immune mediated inflammatory and infectious diseases.

 

The Chemokine Research Group will study the contribution of chemokines, their receptors and interceptors to the development and regulation of immunity, inflammation and cancer spread. The successful candidates will be conducting cutting edge research to elucidate the in vivo and in vitro mechanisms of chemokine action.

 

The candidate should have a PhD or be about to complete a PhD and have experience in immunology, experimental cancer studies, cell and molecular biology.

 

The post holder will study in vitro and in vivo the contribution of chemokine receptors CCR7 and CCR11 to the host immune responses to cancer including in the setting of adjuvant cancer immunotherapy. CCR7, CCR11 and their common ligands regulate the balance between immunity and tolerance (J Exp Med. 2007, 204:735-45; Nat Rev Immunol. 2008, 8:362-71). The aim of this project is to uncover new molecular mechanisms of induction and suppression of immunity to cancer as well as the contribution of host reactions to the dissemination of cancer. The ultimate goal is to identify new molecular targets for potential therapeutic intervention supporting the immunotherapy of cancer.