"Medical Researcher on Innovative Strategies for Immunotherapy in Melanoma"

Job Summary

Immune therapy has significantly changed the treatment of patients with melanoma. However, there is still room for improvement, as not every patient benefits sufficiently, and many experience serious side effects. This PhD position involves working on two innovative, complementary projects focused on local immune modulation for systemic tumor control in melanoma.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the inclusion, treatment, and follow-up of patients in two clinical studies, while being involved in outpatient care.
• Collect and process blood samples, biopsies, and lymph node tissue in collaboration with the teams from Medical Oncology and Dermatology laboratories.
• Perform laboratory analyses, such as high-dimensional flow cytometry, cytokine assays, and immunophenotyping, in collaboration with lab analysts.
• Analyze data and translate findings into new insights for clinical practice.
• Write scientific articles and present results at national and international conferences.
• Work closely with oncologists, (dermato-)immunologists, research analysts, and other PhD candidates.
• For the first project, investigate neoadjuvant immune therapy in stage III melanoma to assess if local, intradermal administration combined with systemic treatment leads to better tumor response and fewer side effects.
• For the second project, conduct a phase 1 study on a new combination treatment: systemic checkpoint inhibition combined with topical treatment, to determine if inducing an immune response against melanocytes in the skin enhances the effect of immune therapy.
• In both studies, examine clinical outcomes and immune reactivity against melanoma using advanced technologies.

Qualifications and Requirements

• You are a graduated physician and BIG-registered.
• You have a strong interest in and basic knowledge of oncology and immunology.
• You find it challenging to combine clinical work with laboratory research.
• Experience with flow cytometry or other immunological techniques is a plus.
• You work carefully and can function both independently and in a team.
• You communicate fluently in Dutch and English, both orally and in writing.

What the Employer Offers

• A contract for 12 months, with the intention to extend to a total of 4 years, following the PhD Guidelines.
• Salary scale 10: €3,598 to €5,669 gross per month for a full-time position, depending on education and experience, plus an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• 190.4 vacation hours per year for a full-time position, with the option to save additional hours.
• Pension build-up with BeFrank.
• 100% public transport reimbursement for commutes of 7 km or more one way, or €0.18 per km for personal transport up to 40 km one way.
• Bicycle allowance of €0.18 per km.