A Research Assistant position is available within the group of Dr Gabriel Balmus at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI), focused on exploring the relationship between DNA Damage and Huntington's Disease. The work is funded by the CHDI Foundation for 2 years, with the possibility of renewal for another 2 years.
The project
Huntington's Disease (HD) is a fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by unstable expansion of a CAG triple nucleotide repeat in the coding region of the HTT gene. Currently, no treatment can slow or stop disease initiation or progression; thus, there is an unmet need that requires research aimed at discovering disease modifiers prospective to become used in therapy. Large HD population studies have recently uncovered that the expansion of repeats is strongly modified by two distinct DNA damage and repair (DDR) modules, FAN1 and mismatch repair (MMR). The goal of this project is to elucidate the associated network of genes that are modulators of CAG repeat expansion and integrate this network with the broad DNA Damage Response network. Uncovering this network would represent an important step forward for better understanding the best druggable targets and how to stratify patients.
About you
Education to a BSc degree in Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, Genetics or a related discipline is required.
Experience in cell and molecular biology techniques, such as CRISPR/Cas9, western blotting, PCR and tissue culture, is essential. Other essential skills encompass cell line design and development, along with genetic and phenotypic validation.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
