30 Sep 2026
Job Information
- Organisation/Company: Fundacion MEDINA
- Department: Screening and Target Validation
- Research Field: Medical sciences » Health sciences; Biological sciences » Biology; Neurosciences » Neurobiology
Offer Description
Phenotypic drug discovery in age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
The PhD position is part of the MSCA Doctoral Network PANDORA, focused on discovering Pathomechanisms and Novel Drug Optimization for AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration).
Oxidative stress is a major contributor to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) dysfunction in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and may interact with genetic risk associated with dysregulation of the complement system, including the CFH Y402H risk variant. The PhD student will develop disease-relevant cellular models and phenotypic drug-screening approaches to identify and characterize compounds capable of protecting RPE cells from oxidative stress and complement-associated damage.
A central component of the project will be the culture and differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into retinal pigment epithelial (iPSC-RPE) cells, followed by morphological, molecular and functional characterization of the resulting RPE models. These models will be used to investigate oxidative stress-associated phenotypes and to validate compounds identified through screening.
The PhD student will establish high-throughput screening assays using oxidative stress-induced cellular models and screen a library of antioxidant and redox-modulating compounds, including a selected subset of microbial natural products from the MEDINA collection. Active compounds will be confirmed through concentration-response studies and subsequently evaluated in disease-relevant iPSC-RPE models.
The compounds identified as protective against oxidative stress will undergo detailed validation and phenotypic characterization to investigate their protective activity and mechanisms of action.
The project will make extensive use of High-Content Imaging and Cell Painting to generate multiparametric morphological profiles reflecting cellular responses to oxidative stress and compound-mediated phenotypic rescue. The doctoral candidate will perform quantitative analysis of high-dimensional imaging datasets using computational and bioinformatic approaches, including image-derived feature processing, dimensionality reduction and phenotypic clustering. These analyses will contribute to identifying compound-specific phenotypic signatures and investigating mechanisms of action.
The most promising compounds will subsequently be evaluated in advanced genetic models of complement-mediated AMD developed within the PANDORA network.
The doctoral candidate will utilize cutting-edge techniques:
- Human iPSC culture and differentiation into RPE
- Characterization of iPSC-derived RPE using molecular, morphological and functional assays
- Mammalian cell culture and oxidative stress models
- High-throughput compound screening and dose-response studies
- High-Content Imaging and Cell Painting
- Automated image analysis and multiparametric phenotypic profiling
- Bioinformatic and statistical analysis of high-dimensional imaging datasets
- Molecular and biochemical assays to characterize oxidative stress, mitochondrial function and cellular damage
- Bioactivity characterization and mechanism-of-action studies
The position will provide state-of-the-art training at the interface of stem cell biology, retinal disease modelling, phenotypic drug discovery, high-content imaging and computational biology, within the highly interdisciplinary and international environment of the PANDORA Doctoral Network.
Open Access research publications related to this position:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40384930/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39981241/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34155630/
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7511696
Where to apply
E-mail: msca.pandora@medinaandalucia.es
Requirements
- Research Field: Biological sciences » Biology — Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
- Research Field: Neurosciences » Neurobiology — Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
- Research Field: Medical sciences » Health sciences — Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
- A Master's degree in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry or a closely related discipline, preferably complemented by training or experience in bioinformatics, computational biology or biological data analysis.
- Strong theoretical and practical background in cell biology and mammalian cell culture.
- Hands-on experience in cell culture and cellular and molecular biology techniques.
- Strong interest in human iPSC culture, differentiation and disease-relevant cellular models.
- Training or experience in bioinformatics, quantitative biological data analysis or analysis of high-dimensional datasets.
- Strong interest in drug discovery, high-content imaging and phenotypic screening.
- Excellent oral and written English and good scientific communication skills.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary and international research environment.
- High motivation to undertake experimental research and acquire new technical and computational skills.
Specific Requirements
Previous experience in human iPSC culture, stem-cell differentiation and/or RPE biology will be highly valued.
Experience in one or more of the following areas would be considered an advantage: high-content imaging, fluorescence microscopy, Cell Painting, CellProfiler or related image-analysis tools, phenotypic profiling or drug screening.
Experience with R and/or Python for biological data analysis and familiarity with statistical and computational approaches for high-dimensional data, including feature selection, dimensionality reduction (e.g. PCA or UMAP), clustering or machine-learning approaches, would also be an advantage.
Languages: ENGLISH — Level: Excellent
Research Field: Medical sciences » Health sciences
Additional Information
Benefits
The EU provides 36 months of support for each recruited researcher. We offer a highly competitive salary, with a gross salary in the range of 3.294,77 € before taxes and employees' social security deductions.
Fundación MEDINA is a non-profit research organization focused on the discovery of novel therapeutics and bioactive molecules. The doctoral candidate will join the Screening & Target Validation Department and work in a multidisciplinary environment combining cell biology, advanced cellular models, high-throughput and high-content screening, natural-product research and computational analysis.
The candidate will have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure for automated drug screening and High-Content Imaging, including automated liquid-handling platforms and high-content microscopy, as well as MEDINA's extensive expertise and resources in natural-product drug discovery.
The candidate will participate in the training activities of the international and intersectoral PANDORA MSCA Doctoral Network, providing opportunities to interact with experts in retinal biology, complement biology, stem-cell models, pharmacology, imaging, bioinformatics and drug discovery.
The position will also include opportunities for secondments and research exchanges within the PANDORA network, as well as participation in national and international scientific conferences.
Eligibility criteria
In accordance with the MSCA Doctoral Network eligibility requirements, the applicant:
- shall not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date, unless as part of compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention;
- shall not already be in possession of a doctoral degree;
- can be of any nationality.
* Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree are not considered eligible.
Selection process
Doctoral candidates will be selected based on their scientific qualifications and experience, research interests, additional knowledge and skills, and their motivation to participate in an international and intersectoral research-training programme.
Particular consideration will be given to candidates demonstrating a strong experimental background in cell biology and mammalian cell culture combined with an interest in, or experience with, quantitative and computational analysis of complex biological data.
Additional comments
Please send:
- your CV, specifying the title "DC10 – Phenotypic drug discovery in age-related macular degeneration";
- a 1-page cover letter describing your research experience, motivation and suitability for the position; and
- contact details of one or two academic referees
to: msca.pandora@medinaandalucia.es
For informal enquiries, please contact:
Dr. Rosario Fernández-Godino
Head of Screening & Target Validation
Fundación MEDINA
rosario.fernandez@medinaandalucia.es
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available: 1
- Company/Institute: Fundación MEDINA
- Country: Spain
- State/Province: Andalucía
- City: Granada
- Postal Code: 18016
- Street: Av del Conocimiento, 34
Contact
- State/Province: Granada
- City: Granada
- Website: http://www.medinadiscovery.com/es/
- Street: Av Conocimiento, 34
- Postal Code: 18016
- E-Mail: rosario.fernandez@medinaandalucia.es