Conception of bioresorbable self-rolled patchs for the local treatment of inflammation induced in the colon after irradiation

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Start in : December 2022
Workplace : Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
Duration : 24 months

Context

Pelvic cancers are among the most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide. Radiotherapy (RT) plays a growing place in the management of malignant pelvic diseases. Even though great advances have been made in RT delivery techniques, radiation exposure of significant volumes of normal bowel persists, impacting on the patient's quality of life post-treatment. Cancer incidence increases and mortality have been reduced during the past several decades, and the number of cancer survivors has almost tripled during the same period. With an increasing cohort of cancer survivors, efforts to manage the adverse effects of RT have to be intensified. Current therapies are merely palliative. Several drugs have been investigated to prevent the pelvic radiation disease (PRD) but no curative treatment exists. Moreover, the pharmacologic molecules could induce adverse effects especially when they are delivered systemically with a prolonged use. Our lab also demonstrated that cell therapy using mesenchymal stromal cells gave encouraging results in animal models (rats and pigs) and could be a new perspective to induce regeneration of the colon.

Today, no medical device exists for the treatment of the colon despite the number of various colonic pathologies as inflammatory diseases. The objective of OPENN project, funded by ANR, is to develop an innovative medical device dedicated to the colon that could be easily implanted by surgeons using colonoscopy.

Missions

The candidate will be in charge of setting up in vivo experiments in rats in order to analyse the therapeutic efficiency of the device. These experiments will use various and complementary techniques based on animal experimentation (histology, immunohistochemistry and Ussing chambers), cell culture, flow cytometry and single cell RNAseq.

Requirement

PhD in a Biomedical Science field. The ability for animal experimentation is mandatory. Experience in single cell RNA seq would be a plus.

We are looking for a highly motivated scientist with methodological rigor, communication skills, ability to work in a collaborative environment and to supervise students.