Transcriptional Regulation in Developmental Disorders

News

POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND DISEASE MODELING WITH COMBINED WET (70%) AND DRY LAB (30%) WORK (D/F/M)

We are looking for an enthusiastic postdoc to join our research group at the Institute of Human Genetics of the University Heidelberg (Germany) to study the pathophysiology of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). 

Following generation of CRISPR/Cas9 engineered human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) with CdLS mutations, the successful candidate will characterize the hiPSC as well as hiPSC-derived neural crest cells (NCC) by HiChIP-seq, RNA-seq, and ATAC-seq. Integrative analysis of these data should reveal the regulatory networks controlled by cohesin in hiPSC and hiPSC-derived NCC 

Our laboratory explores early human development using hiPSC and their differentiation to understand gene regulation by non-coding DNA elements and the 3D chromosomal architecture in health and disease. We incorporate cutting-edge methods from various disciplines (cell biology, genomics, gene editing, bioinformatics, network biology) to provide a holistic picture of the most fundamental developmental processes.

Composed of international and multi-disciplinary scientists, our group creates a unique and inspiring environment and supports individual career development. For more information visit:

Project relevant literature

doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2019.03.004.

doi: 10.1177/00220345211038203.

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065149.

Your profile:

• Ph.D.in bioscience or equivalent degree with substantial experience in stem cell biology and basic bioinformatics.
• Cell culture experience and standard molecular biological techniques such as cloning, microscopy, Western blot, immunofluorescence, qPCR is a must.
• Experience in at least one of the following techniques is required: ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, Hi-C, or 4C-seq is required. 
• Experience in hiPSC culture, CRISPR/Cas9 targeting and their differentiation is a huge advantage 
• Ability to analyze own sequencing data as well as strong interest in Python, R, shell scripting and working with NGS data.
• Curiosity-driven researcher, passionate about science, who can work both independently and as part of our team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

Duration:

Twenty months with a potential option to extend, starting as soon as possible. 

Contact and Application: 

The application must include your motivation, a brief statement of your scientific interests including your contribution to the projects you were working on and how you can contribute to the cohesin project. In addition, contact details from three references, curriculum vitae, separated publication list, and relevant certificates.

Application deadline: 31.05.2025

Please forward your complete application in a single pdf document with the filename: Postdoc_ Cohesin25_ first name_ second name (no other format will be accepted) by e-mail to magdalena.laugsch(at)uni-heidelberg.de

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Congratulations to Michael Eibl who was selected to present his Master Thesis work in the Best Poster Session at the European Human Genetics Conference (ESHG2024, Berlin, Germany). His bioinformatics project is focused on understanding transcriptional regulation in human cranial neural crest cell differentiation by integrating time-course transcriptomic and epigenomic data.

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We look forward to welcoming Stephanie Schofield in the Fall of 2023 after she has won a United States Fulbright to study in our lab. She previously studied antibiotic treatment failure under Dr. Wendy Mok at UConn Health, Farmington, NM, USA and will use this experience to apply to her studies in our lab on developing craniofacial organoids.

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We wish our medical doctoral student Jannis, who elucidates the role of the gene MAGEL2 in human disease, all the best for his semester abroad at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Building on his experience in our lab, he will use CRISPR-based screens in hiPSC-derived neurons and glia cells to investigate the role of the protein tau in dementia.”

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Congratulations to Feven (Biosciences, Julius-Maximilians-Universität of Würzburg) on her advancement award (Förderpreis) of the Hochschulgesellschaft Bonn-Rhein-Sieg for her bachelor thesis 2022, sponsored by “Stiftung Evolution”. During her internship and thesis, Feven generated CRISPR/Cas9 highly valuable models to study Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome.

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Congratulations to Ayat on receiving the CMMC Poster Award 2021 at the "25 Years of Progress in Molecular Medicine" symposium held in Cologne, Germany in September 2021. She presented her work about in vitromodeling Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome (BBSOAS).

WHO?

WHAT?

We explore the relationship between craniofacial and brain development and their intimate interactions in health and disease.

WHY?

In vertebrates, the head forms from a transient and multipotent population of neural crest cells that appears after the embryonic neural tube closes. From this point onward, head and brain formation are intertwined throughout development. The head protects the developing brain and facilitates its functional integration, and many neurodevelopmental disorders also include craniofacial malformations. Our research focuses on developmental genes that need a specific and dynamic regulation e.g. by enhancers. That regulation ensures establishing their precise expression patterns during development, which might have pathological consequences when being disrupted. In this context, our investigations of the similarities and differences between human neural crest cells and neuronal cells will provide valuable insights into the causes of neurodevelopmental conditions.

HOW?

A great breakthrough in the field of human disease modeling was the possibility to obtain human stem cells by reprogramming adult somatic cells. Since then, these so-called human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) have been generated from patient donors and then differentiated into disease-relevant cell types that can be used to expand our knowledge about the molecular basis of disease. The power of disease modeling has further expanded with the development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology, which simplifies introducing or correcting mutations in cellular DNA.
Leveraging our expertise in hiPSC culture, genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9), and their directed differentiation (neural and neural crest), we have been recapitulating early human embryogenesis. To analyze that process, we have been combining epigenomic (ChIP-seq, 4C-seq, Hi-ChIP-seq) and transcriptomic data (RNA-seq) with advanced computational approaches. Our genomewide data should provide an excellent foundation for innovative studies on the intimate interactions and relationships between craniofacial and brain development.

Figure 1: Scheme of generation and possible applications of hiPSC. Human cells of any origin can be reprogramed into hiPSC by transient overexpression of a combination of certain transcription factors. Due to their renewing potential, hiPSC can be expanded and engineered. Finally, hiPSC can be differentiated into the desired cell type and applied for disease modelling, drug screening or transplantation.

Join the lab

YOU are a curiosity-driven researcher, passionated for science, have good written and verbal communication skills in English, can work both independently and as part of our team.

WE offer you a creative and inspiring environment of highly enthusiastic and motivated scientists. You will find here an international and multi-disciplinary group and a friendly working atmosphere that supports individual career development. Our team and our outstanding national and international collaborations apply cutting-edge approaches to investigate the craniofacial and brain development using hiPSC models.

MASTER AND BSC. STUDENTS, INTERN STUDENTS

Talented students with a strong interest in stem cell, molecular biology, and bioinformatics are welcome in our laboratory. However, the opportunities strongly depend on our ongoing scientific questions and capacities.

OPEN PHD AND POSTDOC POSITIONS

Currently, there are no open positions available, but excellent candidates are always encouraged to contact Magdalena Laugsch.