Postdoctoral Position Cancer Cell Biology Endocytosis, Signalling and Cancer Lab

Postdoctoral Position Cancer Cell Biology Endocytosis, Signalling and Cancer Lab

IEO - European Institute of Oncology

Milan, Italy

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher in Cancer Cell Biology to join the Endocytosis, Signalling and Cancer Laboratory headed by Prof. Pier Paolo Di Fiore at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan. The position is part of a project funded by the Italian Fund for Science (FIS) and aims to improve prognostic stratification and treatment of breast cancer patients by exploiting phenotypic intertumoral heterogeneity through an integrated clinical, multi-omics, and biological platform.

About the Project

Breast cancer management is hindered by extensive molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity. Despite advances in molecular stratification and precision medicine, major unmet clinical needs persist, particularly in intermediate-risk Luminal breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive subtype.

Our laboratory has recently developed two multigene signatures: PetSign, capturing metabolic (glycolytic) alterations, and StemPrintER, reflecting the acquisition of cancer stem cell properties. This project aims to leverage these signatures to improve prognostic stratification of Luminal and TNBC patients and to identify FDA-approved drugs capable of targeting these phenotypes.

Role and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Design and perform drug screening experiments in breast cancer cell lines to identify compounds targeting defined tumor phenotypes
• Evaluate the impact of candidate drugs on cellular phenotypes of interest
• Apply single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to characterize drug-induced changes in tumor cell states and phenotypic heterogeneity
• Perform downstream validation of selected hits in patient-derived organoids (PDOs) and other advanced in vitro models
• Integrate functional and single-cell data with computational analyses in close collaboration with computational biologists

Qualifications

We seek creative, self-driven scientists with:

• A PhD in Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Systems Medicine or a related life sciences discipline
• Strong experience in mammalian cell culture and functional assays
• Experience with single-cell technologies (scRNA-seq) and/or patient-derived organoid models is highly desirable
• Familiarity with phenotypic heterogeneity and functional characterization of cancer cell states
• A genuine interest in translational cancer research