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Research Fellow in Extracellular Matrix and High Throughput Screening

University of Surrey - Biochemical Sciences

Location: Guildford
Salary: £29,539 to £33,137 per annum pro rata
Hours: Part Time
Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract
Placed On: 16th January 2025
Closes: 30th January 2025
Job Ref: 002325

Fixed-Term until 23/01/2026

Part-time (0.8 FTE)

The University of Surrey is a global community of ideas and people, dedicated to life-changing education and research. 

We are ambitious and have a bold vision of what we want to achieve - shaping ourselves into one of the best universities in the world, which we are achieving through the talents and endeavour of every employee.  

Our culture empowers people to achieve this aim and to collectively, and individually, make a real difference.  

The role

This is a new, exciting Post-Doctoral opportunity funded by the Medical Research Council (Grant Ref: MR/Z506266/1) in collaboration with AstraZeneca to identify small molecule inhibitors of the metalloprotease ADAMTS8. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic, life-threatening disease characterised by high blood pressure in the vessels that bring blood from the heart to the lungs, leading to heart failure.  

As no cure exists for PAH, it is critical to develop agents able to halt or slow down its progression. A hallmark of PAH is the accumulation of proteins within the cardiac tissue, also called fibrosis, that severely impairs the ability of the organ to contract and work. Recently, the metalloprotease ADAMTS8 has been identified as a detrimental factor in the progression of PAH: 1) ADAMTS8 levels are significantly increased in the lungs of PAH patients; 2) mice genetically modified to lack ADAMTS8 showed less cardiac and vascular fibrosis which ensured protection from severe PAH. 

Therefore, targeting ADAMTS8 activity may be a novel approach to treat PAH. Unfortunately, no molecules able to block ADAMTS8 activity are currently available. Here, we will perform a high throughput screening of the AstraZeneca proprietary library (>500,000 compounds) to isolate molecules able to block ADAMTS8 activity using a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) peptide as a substrate.

The post will be based in the Discipline of Clinical Sciences in the School of Biosciences and Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey. The project will be run in collaboration with AstraZeneca. The successful candidate will spend a short period at the AstraZeneca facilities in Cambridge, UK.

The main focus of the project will be to screen the AstraZeneca proprietary library to identify inhibitors of the metalloproteinase ADAMTS8.

About you

The successful candidate will spend up to 2 months in the AstraZeneca Research Facility in Cambridge, UK. You will have experience in protein expression and purification (preferably on metalloproteases), cell culture and FRET assays. You will acquire a broad range of expertise in a dynamic, interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Salvatore Santamaria.

The ideal candidate will have strong interests in research underpinning the regulation, and therefore function, of ADAMTS proteases and their substrates. Experience in protease expression and purification (ideally in ADAMTS proteases), cell-based assays and FRET assays are required.

How to apply

Please apply on the University website with a CV and cover letter.

Further details

For more information and to apply online, please download the further details and click on the 'Apply' button above.
 
In return we offer a generous pension, relocation assistance where appropriate , flexible working options including job share and blended home/campus working locations (dependent on work duties), access to world-class leisure facilities on campus, a range of travel schemes and supportive family friendly benefits including an excellent on-site nursery.

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.

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