Postdoctoral Associate - Martins Lab

Ph.D. and/or MD in an appropriate scientific discipline required.

About the role

The Martins lab at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology is looking for a Postdoctoral Associate. Our research program is focused on developing a “one-shot” functional cure for HIV/AIDS. To that end, we are leveraging the latest advances in gene therapy to engineer long-lived host cells to continuously produce HIV-1 IgG therapeutics in vivo at levels sufficient to prevent viral replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Using nonhuman primates as a preclinical model of HIV/AIDS, we have shown that a single dose of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors at birth can result in stable expression of a HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) in plasma for years without redosing. The systemic HIV-1 immunity achieved by this strategy could block acquisition of simian-HIV infection (SHIV) in mucosal challenge models that mimic HIV transmission through breastfeeding and sexual intercourse. Additionally, ongoing studies in our group show that AAV-vectored delivery of HIV-1 IgG biologics can also prevent virus rebound in SHIV-infected infant and adult rhesus macaques following ART interruption.

Despite the promise of these results, AAV-expressed bNAbs often induce host immune responses that restrict bNAb expression and lead to treatment failure. Although these anti-drug antibody (ADA) responses are rarely observed in newborn macaques, a large fraction of AAV/bNAb-treated adult monkeys (and humans too!) develop immune responses that interfere with the half-life or biological activity of the delivered molecules. Thus, a main focus of our lab is to understand why gene therapy with AAV/bNAb vectors induces ADAs in some animals, but not in others, in hopes of devising strategies for suppressing these unwanted host immune responses.

Responsibilities

• Project management (meetings, bookkeeping, purchasing of reagents and supplies, etc.)
• Grant and manuscript writing
• Cloning, cell culture, ELISAs, protein expression and purification, and data analysis and interpretation

Requirements

• Ph.D. in immunology, virology, or a related discipline
• Evidence of productivity from publications in high-quality journals originating from Ph.D. or postdoctoral work (manuscripts finally accepted for publication in high-quality journals will also be considered)
• Significant expertise in the design and production of gene therapy vectors
• Verbal and written communication skills in English with good organizational and analytical abilities
• Strong managerial and organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications

Prior experience in some of the following areas/techniques is preferred:

• Immunological techniques, including flow cytometry, ELISA, immunofluorescence, RNA/DNA scope
• Molecular biology assays, like qPCR and advanced cloning
• Preclinical models of HIV/AIDS
• Next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics

Health assessment required: Yes.