PhD medical oncology

Would you like to pursue a PhD in medical oncology on arming oncolytic viruses with multi-specific single domain antibodies for DC-targeted in situ vaccination? Join us at the forefront of cancer immunology research!

PhD medical oncology

The project

Cancer vaccines can trigger an anti-cancer immune response, but responses in patients are limited by the requirement of a T-cell inflamed tumor. Oncolytic viruses (OV) infect and selectively replicate in tumor cells, thereby inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), resulting in the release of tumor antigens and the (re-)activation and attraction of effector T cells. In this KWF-Alpe d'HuZes funded project, you will focus on developing a novel in situ cancer vaccination method wherein oncolytic viruses will be armed with multi-specific single domain antibodies to boost DC antigen uptake and cancer-specific T-cell responses.

About your role

You will work in a team of young and enthusiastic researchers who have expertise in tumor immunology, immunotherapy, oncolytic viruses and cancer. Research is embedded within the research institutes Cancer Center Amsterdam (CCA) and Amsterdam Immunity and Infection Institute (AI&II).

In this PhD-project, you will generate and characterize multi-specific single domain antibodies (sdAb) to arm OV for subsequent evaluation in cutting edge preclinical and in vivo models.

Your main tasks and responsibilities are:

• characterization of sdAb following immunization of Lama glama;
• generation and characterization of multi-specific sdAb;
• cloning and genetic arming of oncolytic adenoviruses;
• functional evaluation of armed-OV in vitro, ex vivo in 2D and 3D (patient-derived) tumor models;
• in vivo evaluation of armed-OV in a humanized melanoma model.

About you

• A Master’s degree in a field related to biomedical sciences or (medical) biology.
• Affinity for immunology and cancer research.
• Relevant experience in molecular and cell biology techniques (e.g., cell culture, flow cytometry, experience with oncolytic viruses is a plus; knowledge of R is a plus; animal research experience (Article 9) is a plus).
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and verbal.
• Disciplined and able to work in a multidisciplinary environment.

Our offer

• A flying start to your career in scientific research.
• Plenty of room for your drive to shape tomorrow's healthcare.
• Working on large-scale and in-house research, with motivated colleagues from all over the world.
• You will be employed by Amsterdam UMC Research BV.
• A contract for 12 months, with the intention to extend for a total of 4 years. The Guideline PhD contract applies to this vacancy.
• Salary scale OIO: € 3.017 to € 3.824 gross based on full-time employment (depending on education and experience) and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. From July 1st, 2025, there will be a salary increase of 3%.
• Holiday hours: 190,4 per year for fulltime and a possibility to save additional hours.
• Pension accrual with BeFrank, a modern, comprehensible and fairly priced pension.
• For >7 km each way, 100% reimbursement for public transport travel costs and, for private transport, €0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km each way.
• Do you prefer walking or cycling? Take advantage of our good bike scheme. Moreover, you will receive a reimbursement of €0.18 per km.

About your workplace

The Immunotherapy Lab of the Department of Medical Oncology in which you will be embedded (supervised by Dr. Roeland Lameris and Prof. Dr. Tanja de Gruijl), translates preclinical findings from the lab to the clinic in order to implement novel immunotherapies for cancer. Our research includes tumor-induced immune suppression, myeloid cells as therapeutic targets, characterization and immune potentiation of tumor-draining lymph nodes, sdAb-based bispecifics for tumor targeting as well as the profiling and immune monitoring of cancer, lymph nodes and blood by flow cytometry and (spatial) transcriptomics. We will collaborate with Prof. Victor van Beusechem for oncolytic virotherapy expertise and in vivo experiments will be performed in close collaboration with Prof. Derk Amsen (Sanquin, The Netherlands).

Amsterdam UMC Research BV supports non-profit scientific research. In doing so, we provide researchers with everything they need to excel. Our principal investigators (PIs) and project leaders offer support in the field of project management, finance and human resources. In medical scientific research projects, legal support is also provided.

Amsterdam UMC has an open culture. This means that we hope that everyone feels welcome in our organization and that we strive to offer equal opportunities to everyone. We therefore cordially invite all interested parties to respond to this vacancy.

Note! Applications should include a CV, cover letter, and the contact information of at least two references. An assessment may be part of the selection procedure. The first interview will be conducted in-person or online, and will be followed by a second on-site presentation and interview.

During the publication period, applications will be handled continuously. If the vacancy is filled, it will be closed prematurely.

If you have any questions about this position, please feel free to contact dr. Roeland Lameris via r.lameris@amsterdamumc.nl.

A reference check, screening and hiring test may be part of the procedure. If you join us, we ask you for a VOG (Certificate of Good Conduct).

Internal candidates will be given priority over external candidates in case of equal suitability.