4-YEAR DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP: “Development and use of non-invasive
biomarkers to monitor respiratory health of young children”
FOR MASTER IN SCIENCES (ORIENTATION: bioscience-engineering/biochemistry and
biotechnology/ biology/ Biomedical)
You will join the unit ‘Platform Biotechnology and Molecular Biology’ and will be responsible
for the research project entitled: “RESPIKID: Development and use of non-invasive
biomarkers to monitor respiratory health of young children’’. You will be responsible for the
organisation, execution and reporting of the doctoral research project ‘RESPIKID’.
About the project: Respiratory health of children is among the priorities of (inter)national
environmental health programs. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental
stressors like poor air quality. Both genetic and environmental factors are affecting the
children’s likelihood to develop respiratory diseases. Monitoring exposure, effect and
susceptibility in children’s cohorts, using biomarkers may help to understand the complex
relationship between cause and effect and also is of critical importance for health care
management purposes, public health decision making, and primary prevention activities. The
most commonly used source of biomarkers is serum but it requires a blood sampling, which
for ethical and practical reasons is not feasible in most epidemiological studies involving
young children. Therefore, using non-invasive biomarkers like nasal lavage fluid (NALF) or
urine is a necessary alternative for monitoring respiratory health in children.
The aim of this doctoral project is to develop valuable specific non-invasive biomarkers
(protein, DNA, RNA) to be able to monitor respiratory health and to diagnose at an early
stage respiratory health problems of young children. Several concepts in order to propose an
integrated monitoring study using protein, genetic and epigenetic biomarkers together with
an improvement of several technical factors, currently hampering efficient children’s
respiratory health monitoring will be developed This information will contribute to a pro-active
public health policy with the aim of improving respiratory health of children, and hence of
older people with emerging health disorders which are suspected to have their origin in
young children.
Job description
- This research will be performed in the Unit Platform Biotechnology and Molecular Biology of
the WIV-ISP (Dr. ir. Nancy Roosens, Dr. ir. Sigrid De Keersmaecker), in close collaboration
with other scientific units of the WIV-ISP, i.e. Health and Environment - Biomonitoring (Dr.
Koen De Cremer), Immunology (Dr. O. Denis) and with the UCL (Prof. Dr. A. Bernard,
academic promotor of the PhD research).
- You will be supported by senior scientists of this department and its collaborators.
- You will work in close collaboration with PhD students.
- You will be introduced to the most current methods in molecular biology and be involved in
research on the most recent developments in biotechnology applied to public health
Profile
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Master in Sciences (orientation: bioscience-engineering/biochemistry and
biotechnology/ biology/ Biomedical) or equivalent
0-1 year of professional experience (master thesis included)
Willing to make a PhD thesis
Strong interest in molecular biology and public health
Experience/knowledge of statistical analyses is a plus
Able to synthesize, having a strong analytical mind
Able to work independently, having sense of responsibilities, organization and
planning
Able to speak, understand and write scientific papers and reports in English
Able to speak one of the two national languages (FR/NL)
Familiar with molecular biology (theoretical and practical formation)
Team player, with good communication skills
Offer
A 4-year doctoral scholarship
More information
Stefaan Vernaeve, Unit Personnel & Organisation - stefaan.vernaeve@wivisp.be - T 02/642.50.16
Nancy Roosens, Head of unit Platform Biotechnology & Molecular Biology –
nancy.roosens@wiv-isp.be – T 02 642 52 58
Interested? Send your application best before XXXXX via our website
(http://www.wiv-isp.be/jobs) or by e-mail to jobs@wiv-isp.be.