Research Assistant in Preclinical Development of Ultrasound-Mediated Paediatric Brain Tumour Treatme

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic Research Assistant to work on a pre-clinical project related to ultrasound-mediated paediatric brain tumour treatment using drug-loaded thermosensitive liposomes.   

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of cell culture and animal husbandry. The post involves cell culture of fluorescent diffuse midline glioma (DMG) cell lines, brain tumour inoculation, monitoring of tumour growth using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF)/luminescence imaging, and animal husbandry (mice). The research assistant will also be responsible for post-mortem tissue processing, sectioning, histology, and microscopy imaging. Finally, they will work on the development of the MHRA application for clinical translation of the study’s findings. 

The post-holder will join an exciting pre-clinical project in the heart of London, funded by the Little Princess Trust. The project is highly translational and its results will be used for the design of future clinical trials. The project will be based in the Department of Surgical & Interventional Engineering, within the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, at King’s College London. Ultrasound and MRI experiments will be conducted at St Thomas Hospital. Chemical synthesis and characterisation of liposomes will be conducted in the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at King’s College London, under the supervision of Dr. Maya Thanou.  

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract until 30 September 2025. 

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent.

Key responsibilities

•         Perform DMG cancer cell culture  

•         Perform tasks related to animal husbandry 

•         Perform brain tumour inoculation and monitor tumour growth with imaging techniques 

•         Perform tissue processing, sectioning, histology, and imaging  

•         Analyse brain tissue to measure drug delivery doses 

•         Develop regulatory binder for clinical translation 

•         Collaborate with existing faculty and project partners on areas of research interest. 

•         Assist PDRAs, PhD and MSc/BSc students in relevant projects 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

1.       BSc/ MSc degree in Biology or a related STEM field 

2.       Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

3.       Wet lab skills 

4.       Experience with cell culture 

5.       Ability to work on own initiative and in a team 

Desirable criteria

6.       Experience with in vivo experiments (Home Office Modules 1-4) 

7.       Experience in histology 

8.       Experience in microscopy  

Further information

Please contact the primary supervisor (Dr. Antonios Pouliopoulos) for informal discussions before applying to this post.