Job Information
- Organisation/Company: Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto (i3S)
Offer Description
Reference: Fellow_BIPD/i3S/01101510/2026
i3s – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (hereinafter i3) is opening a call to award a grant for the development of R&D activities for a PhD's with less than 3 years of postdoctorate, within the project “The HER2 Enhancer Code: A Genetic Approach for Enhancing Anti-HER2 Therapy in Gastric Cancer”, refª - 2024.16404.PEX, financed by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.
Host Institution: i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Porto, Portugal.
Scientific Area: Biological sciences.
Project Title: “The HER2 Enhancer Code: A Genetic Approach for Enhancing Anti-HER2 Therapy in Gastric Cancer”.
Workplans:
Gastric cancer (GC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, largely due to diagnosis at advanced stages and the limited efficacy of currently available therapeutic options. Approximately 20% of gastric tumours overexpress HER2 and are eligible for anti-HER2 therapies, such as trastuzumab. However, fewer than half of eligible patients benefit from this treatment and, even among those who initially respond, the development of resistance is common. Preliminary results obtained through genome-wide CRISPR screening identified several genes involved in modulating the response to anti-HER2 therapy. Among these, loss of RAB14 was shown to increase sensitivity to HER2 inhibitors in both HER2-positive and HER2-negative GC cells, suggesting a novel therapeutic vulnerability with the potential to overcome resistance mechanisms and ultimately extend the benefit of these therapies to a larger number of patients.
In this context, the present project aims to deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that determine the response to anti-HER2 therapies in GC and to explore novel combination therapeutic strategies.
The work plan will include the functional characterisation of the role of RAB14 and the identification of proteins and pathways involved in regulating its expression and function, as well as the identification and evaluation of potential strategies for RAB14 inhibition in combination with anti-HER2 therapies. In parallel, alternative genetic alterations capable of increasing sensitivity to HER2 inhibition will be investigated and validated, particularly in HER2-negative GC models, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed phenotypes will be characterised. The most promising strategies will subsequently be evaluated in relevant preclinical models of gastric cancer. This work will provide further insight into the heterogeneity of GC and the mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance and may contribute to the identification of novel therapeutic strategies capable of improving the efficacy of HER2-targeted therapies and extending their application to a broader population of patients.
Admission Requirements:
Mandatory:
- Candidates must hold a PhD degree obtained in the last three years in Biomedical Sciences (oncology-related);
- Good English Skills, written and spoke;
- Significant experience (>5 years) working with animal models (Mus musculus);
- Laboratory animal science training certificate in accordance with FELASA recommendations for Category C;
- DGAV accreditation to perform procedures involving animals;
- More than 2 first-author publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals;
- Advanced knowledge in the scientific field of the project;
- Strong motivation for the project topic, as demonstrated in the motivation letter;
- Immediate availability to start the contract.
Preferencial:
Solid experience and knowledge in the following areas:
- Molecular biology techniques (RT-qPCR, Western blotting, immunofluorescence);
- Cell culture;
- Flow cytometry;
- Confocal microscopy;
- In vivo experimental models and related analyses;
- Participation in workshops, conferences, or scientific presentations.
The Doctorate beneficiary of this type of fellowship cannot exceed, with the conclusion of the fellowship contract, an accumulated period of three years under this type of scholarship, continuous or not continuously calculated. The calculation of the three years period considers also all the host entities to which the Doctorate has been linked to by a postdoctoral fellowship.
PhD holders of this type of fellowship must also have carried out the research work that led to the attribution of the PhD degree in a host institution other than i3S.
Legislation and other applicable regulations: Research Fellowship Holder Statute enacted by Law no. 40/2004 of August 18th, as amended; i3S Research Grants Regulation.
Place: The research activities will be hosted at i3S, under the scientific coordination of Doctor João Neto.
Length time: The duration of the fellowship is 6 months, eventually renewable. The expected starting date is 1st of November of 2026, upon availability of the financed funds.
Monthly maintenance stipend: €1.901,00, according to the values table of FCT, at Portugal (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf). The payments will be made by bank transference.
Research grants may also include other components, as the voluntary social insurance, under the terms of the Research Fellowship Holder Statute, article 10.
Evaluation Criteria:
The selection process will consist of a curriculum assessment (60%), taking into account previous experience in the areas described under the Admission Requirements, a motivation letter (15%), and an interview (25%).
Only candidates who achieve a score above 50% of the maximum score for the CV and motivation letter assessment will be invited for an interview. Candidates scoring below this threshold will be excluded.
Candidates will be assessed on a scale from 1 to 100 and ranked according to the scores obtained based on the criteria defined above.
Evaluation Pannel: President – Doctor João Neto; other members: Doctor Carla Oliveira and Doctor Liliana Sousa; Substitute members: Doctor Daniel Ferreira and Doctor Silvana Lobo;
Information and Publicity of Funding Granted: The results of the evaluation will be notified by email to all candidates. After notification, candidates have 10 working days to comment and, within that period, a complaint may be submitted by email to rh.i3S@i3s.up.pt.
Applications: The call will be open between 1st October 2026 and 15th October 2026. The applications must be submitted electronically at:
https://dozer.i3s.up.pt/applicationmanagement/#/addapplications/782e41d08a988cfc6c6654180dc3141
The required documents composing the applications are: PhD Certificate, Curriculum Vitae, letter of motivation and other documents, considered as relevant by the candidate.
Full announcement at: https://dozer.i3s.up.pt/fileupload/downloadfile/viewpdfnewtab/55b498682074c6366eed7fb3760d75a
Where to apply
Website: https://dozer.i3s.up.pt/applicationmanagement/#/addapplications/782e41d08a988cfc6c6654180dc3141
Requirements
Research Field: Biological sciences » Biology
Education Level: Bachelor Degree or equivalent
Specific Requirements
Admission Requirements:
Mandatory:
- Candidates must hold a PhD degree obtained in the last three years in Biomedical Sciences (oncology-related);
- Good English Skills, written and spoke;
- Significant experience (>5 years) working with animal models (Mus musculus);
- Laboratory animal science training certificate in accordance with FELASA recommendations for Category C;
- DGAV accreditation to perform procedures involving animals;
- More than 2 first-author publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals;
- Advanced knowledge in the scientific field of the project;
- Strong motivation for the project topic, as demonstrated in the motivation letter;
- Immediate availability to start the contract.
Preferencial:
Solid experience and knowledge in the following areas:
- Molecular biology techniques (RT-qPCR, Western blotting, immunofluorescence);
- Cell culture;
- Flow cytometry;
- Confocal microscopy;
- In vivo experimental models and related analyses;
- Participation in workshops, conferences, or scientific presentations.
Additional Information
Website for additional job details: https://dozer.i3s.up.pt/fileupload/downloadfile/viewpdfnewtab/66e9279d387dfa618fe429e1af28aae
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: i3S
Country: Portugal
Contact
City: Porto
Website: http://www.i3S.up.pt
Street: Rua Alfredo Allen 208
Postal Code: 4200-135