12-month Fixed-Term Contract for technician, CEA, Saclay
We offer a 12-month Fixed-Term Contract (CDD) at the SIMoS CEA Saclay in the team "Toxins, Receptors, and Channels"
Research Project
The laboratory technician will work on a research project focused on the development and functional role of biased agonists of the apelin receptor (ApelinR) in maintaining water balance and cardiovascular functions.
- Apelin Receptor: ApelinR is expressed in the kidneys, blood vessels, and cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells).
- Peptides:
- Apelin-17 (K17F) has effects such as promoting water excretion (aquaretic effect), vasodilation, and positive inotropy (increasing heart contraction strength).
- Removing the terminal phenylalanine in K17F (resulting in K16P) does not affect the coupling of ApelinR to the Gi protein and has no impact on diuresis. However, it reduces the peptide's ability to recruit β-arrestin, induce receptor internalization, lower blood pressure, and increase left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), making K16P a Gi-biased agonist.
The project’s goal is to develop biologically stable biased agonists for ApelinR that are resistant to enzymatic degradation. The research will evaluate their half-life, ApelinR signaling pathways they activate, and their in vivo effectiveness on diuresis, blood pressure (BP), and LVEF.
Responsibilities
The technician will work in a dynamic environment with a variety of skills within the team.
The main tasks will include:
- Blood Pressure Measurement: Measuring blood pressure in rats after subcutaneous administration of different metabolically stable apelin analogs.
- Metabolic Cage Studies: Evaluating the effects of these analogs on diuresis, water intake, and urinary electrolytes in rats housed in metabolic cages.
Training in blood pressure measurement will be provided by another member of the laboratory.
Required Certifications and Skills
- Animal Experimentation Certification: Project Designer certification + Experimental Surgery diploma.
- Essential Qualities: Experimental precision and rigor, proper lab notebook maintenance, and candidate motivation will be considered in the application evaluation.
- Desired Knowledge: Pharmacology and Cardiovascular Physiology.
Please send your CV and informations to Dr Catherine Llorens-Cortes c.llorens-cortes@college-de-france.fr; catherine.llorenscortes@cea.fr