Post-doctoral position - Implication of desmin in the mechanical properties of skeletal muscle cells : Paris, France
We are looking for a postdoctoral candidate to work Ｏn the involvement of desmin in the mechanical properties of the skeletal muscle cells.
Description
More specifically, we have recently evidenced an impairment of the contractile abilities of muscle cells under the expression of a mutated desmin, at the very early stage of myoblasts. This mutation in desmin, among others, causes desminopathy, a skeletal and cardiac myopathy leading to slowly progressive muscular weakness and cardiac disorders, associated with the formation of aggregates containing desmin. By conducting micromechanical measurements Ｏn myoblasts and myotubes, we plan to investigate the biological mechanisms of the observed decrease in contractility and the role it could play in the appearance of desminopathies. The recruited candidate will work in a physics laboratory, Matière et Systèmes Complex, in close collaboration with a biology laboratory, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative. Both laboratories are located at University Paris Diderot. The candidate will have a PhD, or equivalent, in biophysics and less than 3 years of post-doctoral experience. Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment is essential. Financing for this postdoc is available initially for 18 months through an ANR grant, with the possibility to apply for further funding to a Labex program. The position is available from February 2015 and will be opened until a suitable candidate is found.
