Postdoctoral Position in Metabolism and Vascular Function

Job title:

Postdoctoral Position in Metabolism and Vascular Function

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Job description

USP-CEU welcomes postdoctoral researchers with an excellent track record to apply to the European Commission Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) or any other R2 reseach calls, such as: , or (Spanish Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation) or (Madrid Regional Goverment).Selected candidates will be provided with special assistance for proposal writing and development. Our University has been beneficiary of 7 MSCA PF since 2017, including one MSCA-PF with an evaluation of 100/100 in 2021.Brief description of Research Group:Our multidisciplinary team (Metabolism and Vascular function, MET-VASC) at San Pablo CEU University (Madrid, Spain) includes researchers from the fields of Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Nutrition, Mathematics and Physical Chemistry, specialized in the study of vascular alterations associated to metabolic diseases. Our current lines are:1. Study of intertisular communication between perivascular adipose tissue and the artery as the origin of vascular dysfunction associated with obesity and atherosclerosis.2. Brown adipose tissue transplantation as an anti-obesity tool.3. Activation of the protective branch of the renin-angiotensin system to prevent the loss of vascular function associated with obesity and atherosclerosis.Our equipment includes:

• Ex-vivo cardiovascular function determination (organ bath, wire myograph, pressure myograph, Langendorff).
• In-vivo non-invasive blood pressure determination.
• Molecular Biology techniques (Western Blot, qPCR..).
• Core services: cell culture rooms, vivarium, histological analysis, proteomics, and metabolomics services.

Further information about the team, lines of research, funding and publications can be found at ;Publications:

• González-Blázquez R, Alcalá M, Fernández-Alfonso MS, Steckelings UM, Lorenzo MP, Viana M, Boisvert WA, Unger T, Gil-Ortega M, Somoza B. C21 preserves endothelial function in the thoracic aorta from DIO mice: role for AT2, Mas and B2 receptors. Clin Sci (Lond). 2021 May 14;135(9):1145-1163. doi: 10.1042/CS20210049.
• Yap J, McCurdy S, Alcala M, Irei J, Garo J, Regan W, Lee BH, Kitamoto S, Boisvert WA. Expression of Chitotriosidase in Macrophages Modulates Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation in Hyperlipidemic Mice. Front Physiol. 2020 Jun 23;11:714. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00714.
• González-Blázquez R, Alcalá M, Fernández-Alfonso MS, Villa Valverde P, Viana M, Gil-Ortega M, Somoza B. Relevance of Control Diet Choice in Metabolic Studies: Impact in Glucose Homeostasis and Vascular Function. Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 19;10(1):2902. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59674-0.
• Sevillano J, Sánchez-Alonso MG, Zapatería B, Calderón M, Alcalá M, Limones M, Pita J, Gramage E, Vicente-Rodríguez M, Horrillo D, Medina-Gómez G, Obregón MJ, Viana M, Valladolid-Acebes I, Herradón G, Ramos-Álvarez MP. Pleiotrophin deletion alters glucose homeostasis, energy metabolism and brown fat thermogenic function in mice. Diabetologia. 2019 Jan;62(1):123-135. doi: 10.1007/s00125-018-4746-4.
• Alcalá M, Calderon-Dominguez M, Bustos E, Ramos P, Casals N, Serra D, Viana M, Herrero L. Increased inflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial respiration in brown adipose tissue from obese mice. Sci Rep. 2017 Nov 22;7(1):16082. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-16463-6

Active Funding:

• Activation of the AT2 receptor as a treatment for vascular alterations associated with obesity: role of perivascular adipose tissue. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. PID2021-125790OB-I00. PI: Beatriz Somoza. 2022-2026. Total Amount: 108.000 €.
• Transplantation of in vitro activated brown adipocytes with compound 21 as an anti-obesity therapy. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. PID2020-114343GA-I00. PI: Martín Alcalá. 2021-2025. Total Amount: 121.000 €.

Previous Funding:

• Anti-obesity cellular therapy through transplantation of brown adipocytes activated by compound 21. Banco Santander-Universidad CEU San Pablo. FUSP-PPC-19-C5B625BA. PI: Marta Viana. 2020-2022. Total Amount: 15.000 €.
• Crosstalk between hypothalamic astrocytes and perivascular adipose tissue in energy metabolism and cardiovascular function: impact of dietary modifications. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. BFU2017-82565-C2-2-R. PI: Soledad Fernández Alfonso y Beatriz Somoza Hernández. 2018-2021. Total Amount: 90.750 €

Group PI and project supervisor:Research Project Description:The candidate, according to his/her background and interests, may agree with the supervisor to develop the following priority line of research in our group:– Brown adipocyte transplantation as a therapeutic tool in atherosclerosisSeveral studies have been conducted in rodents to determine the beneficial effects of brown adipose tissue (BAT) transplantation in metabolic diseases. The initial studies used BAT grafts originated from healthy non-obese adult mice which were transplanted into obese or diabetic mice. These seminal papers showed metabolic benefits by increasing energy expenditure, reduced circulating levels of glucose and fatty acids and promoting the secretion of beneficial batokines from this organ, which led to body weight reduction and improved insulin sensitivity.This approach could be of interest in the field of atherosclerosis due to the lipid clearance capacity of an active BAT and the beneficial batokines secreted by this organ. However, due to the difficulties to transpose this approach to humans, we believe that cell therapy is a more promising approach. The transplantation of brown adipocytes (derived from mesenchymal cells as well as iPS-derived or CRISPR-modified brown adipocytes) has shown the same outcomes as the use of the entire organ.As a proof of concept, we aim to differentiate and activate a murine cell line of brown adipocytes in vitro. Once activated, cells will be transplanted into APOE*3Leiden.CETP transgenic mice, that develop severe atherosclerotic plaque when fed a western diet with 0.25% cholesterol. This mice strand is a well-established model for human-like lipoprotein metabolism, since they express functional apoE and LDLr unlike other models used for the study of atherosclerosis. We believe that increasing fatty acids uptake by the implant will improve the hepatic clearance of the cholesterol-enriched remnants in an apoE-LDLr dependent mechanism.Keywords: Obesity, atherosclerosis, Brown Adipose Tissue, vascular dysfunction, cell therapy.Application Requirements:A solid background in Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Cell Biology and Molecular Biology is required; previous experience with adipocytes cell culture and organ bath will not be required but preferred. Candidates will be expected to develop their proposal with their host supervisor.An expression of interest shall be sent to (Attn.: Dr. Marta Viana). Your file should contain the following elements:☒ A short CV (Max. 2 pages)☒ A short statement explaining why CEU would be the best host institution for your research.☒ Two letters of reference.For MSCA-PF 24, at the deadline for the submission of proposals (11/09/2024), candidates shall have a maximum of 8 years of postdoctoral research experience and must not have resided or carried out their main activities in Spain formore than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the abovementioned deadline.Those files received before 15th of June will be considered for MSCA-PF 2024 call. Applications received after may be considered for other calls or future applications after discussion with the candidate.Share this page

Expected salary

Location

Boadilla del Monte, Madrid

Job date

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 01:47:43 GMT

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