Job details:
Dementia is the biggest health challenge of our century.
To date there is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it.
The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative driving forward research to fill this gap.
Research from the UK DRI at UCL covers the journey from the patient to the laboratory and back to the patient with improved diagnosis, biomarkers and candidate therapies put to the test.
Applications are invited for a Research Technician. The post is within the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease although it is based entirely at the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI) at UCL. A GGGGCC (G4C2) repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most frequent genetic cause of the devastating neurodegenerative diseases: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) . We are investigating CRISPR-based therapeutic approaches and this post will support that work.
The main aims of this role will be to perform CRISPR-mediated gene silencing in cell lines and iPSC-neurons, MSD immunoassays, RNA FISH, immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and a range of cloning techniques.
The post is available from September 2020 and is funded by a grant from the UK DRI @ UCL until December 2020.
Person criteria:
The successful candidate will have/be about to obtain a BSc, or equivalent experience, in life sciences reseearch. Experience with iPSC culture and neuronal differentiation, CRISPR systems and guide design, and high-throughput fluorescence microscopy and RNA FISH is essential. Demonstrable organisational skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, manage a cycle of projects from inception to completion, meet deadlines and handle stressful situations, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills are also required. Experience with lentivirus production and application, molecular cloning and RT-PCR is desirable.
a.isaacs@ucl.ac.uk
