Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Principal Scientist - Design, plan, perform, interpret and report results of scientific experiments for the preparation and timely delivery of drug substances, drug products, processes and procedures. Lead and manage all project/local network activities, support/coach team members, participate in sub-teams and contribute to overall Technical Research & Development strategies and goals. Research Skills - Immunology, CRISPR/Cas9, Molecular biology, Cellular biology, Gene targeting & NGS. Research Areas - miRNAs, metabolism (cholesterol, fatty acid and insulin signaling), cell cycle regulation, inflammation (T helper cells), stem cell biology and early development, CRISPR/Cas9 screening, metabolomics, miRNAs as therapeutic targets. Writing and Analytical Skills - Expertise in analytical skills, logical reasoning, ability to reflect and to use carefully reasoned arguments to present and defend insights. - Literature research, data analysis and interpretation, written medical information answers, and problem solving. - Extensive writing experience including numerous publications and grants. Organizational & Team Work Skills - Excellent project management and organization skills. - 15+ years of Leadership skills. - Responsible for the development and growth of the lab. - Administrative tasks (ordering supplies, setting up laboratory, protocols, budget control). - Simultaneously managed several projects and experiments without hesitation. - Supervising and mentoring Bachelor, Master, PhD students and PostDocs.
Principal Scientist - Design, plan, perform, interpret and report results of scientific experiments for the preparation and timely delivery of drug substances, drug products, processes and procedures. Lead and manage all project/local network activities, support/coach team members, participate in sub-teams and contribute to overall Technical Research & Development strategies and goals.
Primary Research: New microRNAs pathway functional interactions in mouse Embryonic Stem Cells and their role in early mouse development. Transcriptomic and Metabolic Regulation of mouse Embryonic Stem Cells impaired for RNA interference pathways. Impact and main outcome: Published six articles within the past two years. Discovered a new non-canonical function of the key RNA interference protein, DGCR8, in the exit from pluripotency of mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, independent of its role in microRNA pathway. Assisted in group work to decipher a new role for AGO2 and DICER in stem cell biology. Developed collaborative projects inside the ETH Biology department, specifically a Metabolomic project with Prof. Zamboni, a project on RNA binding proteins with Prof. Allain and a project on small RNAs as therapeutic targets with Prof. Hall. Established several approaches including CRISPR/Cas9, T helper cell isolation and culture/immunological techniques, FACs analysis, Stem Cells directed differentiation and Next Generation Sequencing. Taught several activities (Grundlage Praktikums, Block Course and supervision of semester and Master students).
Primary Research: microRNAs in inflammation and T helper plasticity. Impact and main outcome: Discovered miR-206 and miR-126-5p as critical regulators balancing inflammation, controlling the differentiation and effector functions of T helper 17 lymphocytes (TH17). miR-206 antagonists and miR-126-5p mimics were evaluated for immunosuppressive drug responses that target TH17. miR-33 antagonists were tested in primates and first human trials started.
Primary Research: microRNAs regulates cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and liver regeneration. Impact and main outcome: Identification of miR-33 as a new regulator of cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and liver regeneration. Demonstrated that miR-33 family members also regulate genes involved in cholesterol, fatty acid metabolism and insulin signalling. Inhibition of miR-33 was used to stimulate liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (chronic liver disease or patients affected by hepatocellular carcinoma). Generated three genetic engineered mice strains (a knockout and two knockin) that will be very useful for future studies in the scientific community.
Primary Research: Analyzing the in vivo function of Plakophilin 4 (Pkp4/p0071). Impact and main outcome: Generated Pkp4 mutant mice by gene trap mutagenesis to decipher the in vivo function of plakophilin 4 (Pkp4). Verified the insertion by long range PCR and by Southern blotting to characterize the embryonic lethality phenotype during early development. Analysed LacZ reporter in embryos as well as adult tissues.