Funded as a PPP Healthtech project, Dr. Christiane Hilger, Research Group “Molecular and Translational Allergology” at the Department of Infection and Immunity is seeking a Post-Doctoral fellow in Human Immunology and Allergic Diseases.
The postdoc position is funded through external competitive funding by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR). The successful candidate will be part of the Research Group Molecular & Translational Allergology, an international team with long-standing experience and high visibility in allergy research. The Research Group is embedded within the Department of Infection & Immunity at the LIH, a multidisciplinary and state-of-the-art environment.
Ticks bearing pathogens can transmit infectious diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis and others. Recently, a non-infectious human disease, namely the alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), was shown to be of tick origin. AGS is characterized by the presence of IgE antibodies directed against the carbohydrate galactose-α-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal or α-gal) and a delayed reaction upon ingestion of mammalian meat. However, not every tick bite will lead to sensitization and it is still not understood how the initial events after a tick bite will either lead to a short-lived natural inflammatory immune reaction or shift the immune response to an uncontrolled Th2 response and the production of specific IgE antibodies that potentially lead to allergic symptoms.
The aim of the project is to investigate early peripheral immune responses in individuals experiencing a tick bite by using a multi-omics approach. The project integrates epidemiological surveillance with immunological immunophenotyping. The selected candidate will interact with a strong consortium composed of highly recognized experts in the field of epidemiology, systems immunology, infectious and allergic diseases.
The Postdoctoral Researcher will participate in a translational research study led by Dr. Christiane Hilger (PI of the project) and integrate into a motivated team of international students and scientists at LIH.