Predoctoral position available in Biomedical Engineering
The Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) is a biomedical research institution of the University of Navarra, based in Pamplona, Spain. CIMA’s research on cellular and molecular biology has a deep translational patient orientation and aims to solve unmet medical needs.
Strategically linked to Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), CIMA brings fundamental research closer to its clinical application and paves the way for the development of products for diagnosis and treatment.
The main purpose of the Centre is to carry out high-quality scientific work combating diseases especially in areas of unmet medical need. To this end, CIMA retains the academic approach of the University of Navarra as a source of new research ideas and talent and works together with biopharmaceutical companies, academia and other institutions with an open innovation approach.
Fundación para la Investigación Médica Aplicada is a non-profit organisation established in 1998 by the University of Navarra for the management of CIMA.
Dr. Aranguren’s laboratory at the Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA)-University of Navarra is seeking a highly motivated and talented early career researcher to join their team on an exciting project in the field of pluripotent stem cells.
Our research focuses on addressing key fundamental processes hindering the generation of humanized organs in pigs by blastocyst complementation. By tackling interspecies organogenesis in rat-mouse and human-pig models, we aim to understand interspecies barriers and design innovative methods to shorten the way for the production of transplantable organs in pigs.
Organ transplantation is, in many cases, the only life-saving treatment for end-stage organ failure. Nevertheless, the number of donor organs available is insufficient to cover the clinical demand. Generation of humanized organs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in animal recipients by blastocyst complementation would solve this bottleneck and provide an endless source of organs for clinical use. Blastocyst complementation is a technique based on the microinjection of exogenous PSCs in a preimplantational tissue-deficient embryo, and consists of the rescue of organ development through the colonization of the empty developmental niche by exogenous cells. With this technique, organ-deficient pig embryos could be used to generate humanized organs.
Our group has established at CIMA the technology for the generation of xenoorgans by blastocyst complementation using mouse models. We used this technique to produce exogenous heart and vascular systems in lineage-specific cell ablation mouse models by microinjecting mouse PSCs (intra-species) and rat PSCs (heart, inter-species) (Coppiello et al. 2023 Developmental Cell).
We have also studied the heterogeneity of naïve hiPSC culture, describing their correlation with different cell populations of the pre-implantation human embryo (Moya et al. 2023 Stem Cell Reports).
We have microinjected hiPSC in mouse and pig pre-implantation embryos under different conditions and have analyzed their integration capacity (unpublished results). In the lab, besides PSC culture and microinjection, we handle CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing techniques on cell lines, mouse and pig embryos, basic molecular biology techniques (PCR-qPCR-immunostaining…) and embryo histology, among others. We have a strong collaboration with the genomic and computational biology team at CIMA.
The proposed project consists of the development of different strategies to increase human iPSC chimeric potential, and in the generation of interspecific chimeras.
Qualifications for Predoctoral candidates:
• Master's degree in Biological Sciences.
• Background in molecular and cellular biology.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative research team.
Application Process
Interested candidates should send a cover letter & CV through the application or to Dr. Xabier Aranguren at xlaranguren@unav.es.
Reference letter(s) are appreciated.
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