| PROJECT TITLE: Pathways of redox regulation in LKB1-deficient NSCLC cells
PI: Dr. Jamey D. Young, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Co-PI: Dr. David P. Carbone, Professor of Medicine and Director of NIH Lung Cancer SPORE
INSTITUTION: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
DURATION: Appointment is for 2 years, assuming satisfactory performance
AVAILABLE: Immediately, open until filled
DEGREE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
• Ph.D. in Engineering (e.g., Chemical, Biomedical) or Biological Sciences (e.g., Biochemistry, Molecular/Cell Biology, Cancer Biology, Physiology, Biophysics).
• Experience with mammalian cell culture required.
• Experience with molecular/cell biology is desirable, especially methods for analysis and manipulation of protein expression or cell signaling.
• Experience with mass spectrometry and gas or liquid chromatography is a plus.
• Experience or desire to learn quantitative approaches for analysis of metabolic pathways, especially metabolic flux analysis.
• Strong oral and written communication skills. Ability to organize material for journal publications and grant submissions.
• Ability to train and supervise graduate and undergraduate students.
• Good publication record as first author in major journals.
• US citizens or residents interested in academic careers and/or desiring to apply for an individual NIH postdoctoral fellowship will be given special attention and priority.
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
LKB1 is a master kinase that is mutated or underexpressed in 20-30% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient tumors. Because wild-type LKB1 normally functions as a sensor of energetic or oxidative stress, the response to metabolic insults becomes deregulated in LKB1-deficient cells. The overall objective of this project is to apply metabolic flux analysis and quantitative metabolic profiling to identify critical pathways that maintain redox homeostasis in LKB1-deficient NSCLC cells, and to test their potential as targets for cancer therapeutics.
PI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
The overarching theme of the Young lab is to apply engineering approaches to quantitatively analyze and redirect cellular metabolism. We are currently applying stable isotope tracers and metabolic flux analysis to assess metabolic phenotypes in a variety of cell models of relevance to human disease, including cancer and type-2 diabetes. |
