The team "Membrane Proteomics and Cancer (MEMPROT)" at the Cancer Research Center of Marseille (CRCM) uses last advances in high resolution mass spectrometry to characterize proteins at the surface of cancer cells to find proteins isoforms and post-translational modifications of value during cancer progression, resistance and relapse and discover new potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers. An ambitious technological development in the team focuses on single cell proteomics analysis to access tumor heterogeneity in patient-derived organoids and xenografts.
In the frame of this team and a project recently funded by the French government under the France 2030 investment plan (as part of the Initiative of Excellence of Aix-Marseille University – AMIDEX), we propose a 2 years postdoctoral project which will focus on the development and application of single cell proteomics for the analysis of chemoresistance in breast cancer.
Among breast cancer subtypes, triple‑negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst overall prognosis with a high rate of recurrence. TNBC lacks estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors, so it cannot be treated with hormonal or HER2‑targeted therapies and relies mainly on chemotherapy. Intra-tumor heterogeneity is a primary cause of therapeutic failure with some tumor cell populations that escape therapy, leading to tumor progression. Thus, it is critical to characterize those resisting cells at the earliest stages to find new therapeutic targets and greatly improve survival of patients.
In collaboration with the team of E. Charafe / C. Ginestier at CRCM, the post-doctoral researcher will analyze the remodelling of cellular proteome heterogeneity of triple negative breast cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDX) before and after resistance to several chemotherapies commonly used in clinics as first line of treatment of triple negative breast cancer.
The postdoctoral researcher will work in close collaboration with several other research groups at CRCM and with the engineers of Marseille Proteomics platform (MAP) located in the same building and equipped with Evosep Eno - Astral mass spectrometer.
Key words:
breast cancer, single cell proteomics, mass spectrometry, bioinformatics
Salary:
2600-3050 euros per month brut salary depending on experience and Amidex Aix Marseille university salary scale
Qualifications:
- A PhD in cancer biology, in cellular biology or in biochemistry
- Previous experience in protein biochemistry and in bioinformatics
- Previous experience in mass spectrometry is a plus but not mandatory
- Application deadline: March 1st, 2025 (CV, motivation letter and contacts of 3 references).
Contact:
The Marseille Cancer Research Centre (CRCM) comprises nearly 450 people in 24 teams and 18 technological platforms coordinated in the form of a Core Tech. More than 25 nationalities are represented at CRCM, collaborating with the largest national and international institutes and partenering with multiple networks of excellence. It is located on the Campus of Institute Paoli-Calmettes (IPC), a reference medical center for the fight against cancer.
Research at the CRCM addresses fundamental aspects, ranging from initiation to development of cancer to its dissemination in more aggressive (metastatic) form with the objective of identifying molecular alterations, mechanisms of genome instability and repair and studying their functional consequences in in vitro and in vivo settings. The contribution of the tumour microenvironment and the immune system are other important and contributing area of research at the CRCM. This interdisciplinary research is carried out at the molecular, cellular and pathophysiological levels, using simple and more complex cellular models (organoids) or recapitulating the stages of the tumour process in animals. These multi-scale approaches allow the identification of new therapeutic
targets and aim to develop innovative approaches targeting alterations in the cancer cell or its environment with the aim of progressing towards new treatments.
Translational and clinical research allows the identification of new prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers and the launch of innovative clinical trials closely linked to laboratory activities, a strategy that is another major strength of the CRCM and the IPC. This continuum of basic-translational-clinical science is the hallmark of the CRCM, consistent with the founding missions of the IPC – patient care, education, research and innovation – and is reflected in numerous joint publications between researchers and clinicians.
With the help of its administrative and financial services, the CRCM management team provides the necessary support for this research work and promotes a strong policy of technology transfer and socio-economic development.
The CRCM is also strongly involved in training through its involvement in the Masters and Doctorate courses of the Aix-Marseille University and the University Institutes in Cancer and Immunology, Imaging and Artificial Intelligence.
