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We are seeking applications from qualified candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. John Belperio, an NIH-funded laboratory within the UCLA Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.

We are looking for an M.D. or Ph.D. with a biostatistical background to work on bulk RNAseq, ssRNAseq, citi seq, TCR, methylomics, microbiome, snRNAseq, and proteomics to perform analyses via vertical platforms for predicting lung transplant allograft injuries and chronic rejection. The candidate will also have an immunology background to work with mice models and human samples for the discovery of pathways that lead to fibrosis, emphysema, or granulomas.

Our research program focuses on lung transplant with the goal of inducing murine tolerance via hematopoietic mixed chimerism without radiation in the heterotopic tracheal transplant model of murine obliterative bronchiolitis and or the orthotopic lung transplant model. This would be work dealing with naive and allo-sensitized mice. We also study pathways of acute rejection via endothelial and epithelia cell rejection and pathways of chronic rejection/fibrosis. Our program also focuses on pulmonary fibrosis with the goal of discovering novel pathways using explanted lung tissues and performing proof of concept studies using the murine bleomycin model of lung fibrosis. We also study COPD with the goal of discovering novel pathways using explanted lung tissues and performing proof of concept studies using the porcine elastase model of emphysema. Our program also focuses on Sarcoidosis, discovering novel pathways using explanted lung tissues and inducing non-necrotizing lung granuloma in mice.

Work will include using explanted human lung, lymph node tissue, bronchioalveolar lavage cells and fluid, and plasma/sera/PBMCs for ssRNAseq, proteomics, microbiome, flow cytometry, transcriptomics and methyomics. Similar studies will be performed with transgenic mice with the addition of adoptive transfer experiments and recall assays.

Typical techniques used include immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, multiplex immunofluorescences, flow cytometry, Luminex multiplexing protein concentrations, snRNAseq and ssRNAseq. We also perform adoptive transfer studies and recall response assays. R-programing is preferred. The position will involve conducting experiments in our immunology and cell/molecular biology in the lab. Experience with conditional knockout mouse models, primary epithelial cell lines, flow cytometry, ELISA, protein and DNA-based molecular biology, biochemistry, cell/tissue culture, fluorescence and confocal microscopy, and DNA/RNA sequencing, ssRNAseq, flow cytometry is preferred.

The projects involve both in vitro and in vivo experimentation at the intersection of immunology, cell biology, and bioinformatics. Experience with standard cellular biology techniques and working with murine in vivo models is preferred but not required. Experience in bioinformatics is encouraged but is not mandatory.

This is an NIH Postdoctoral Training Fellowship, and candidates must have a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent and US citizenship or permanent residency.

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