Job Opening: A postdoctoral fellow position is available in the laboratory of Professor Yong J. Lee at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Pittsburgh City: Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh metropolitan area (approximately 2 million residents) is the largest population center in both the Ohio River Valley and Appalachia. The climate is similar to Seoul except wonderful summer. The cost of living in Pittsburgh is relatively low compared to other metropolitan cities of the States.

University of Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1787 as a private school in Pittsburgh.  In the more than 220 years since, the University has evolved into an internationally recognized center of learning and research.  Currently, University of Pittsburgh Medical School is ranked #14 in USA.

Research Interests: Approximately 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year and about one third of them will die from metastases to the liver. Fifty percent of patients with colorectal cancer develop metastatic liver disease and of these patients, only 20% are operable. Surgical resection for liver metastases leads to a survival rate of 40%. The 5 year survival rate for a patient with liver metastases without treatment is 5%.

Targeting tumors has been a work in progress and a highly sought after goal by many scientists.  However, due to the complex interactions of the tumor with its microenvironment, targeting is not straightforward.  I am seeking a postdoc fellow who is interested in developing novel strategies to treat advanced colorectal liver metastases and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Currently, we are focusing on signal transduction and combinatorial (cytokines, chemotherapeutic agents, ferroptotic agents, and immune cells) therapy.  We previously reported that a biological agent, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/Apo-2L), preferentially induces apoptosis in cancer cells. TRAIL-induced apoptosis can be promoted by ferroptotic agents/chemotherapeutic agents and mild hyperthermia.  We previously constructed secretory TRAIL-armed vectors and generated TRAIL releasing natural killer cells.  We will investigate whether these immune cells can infiltrate tumors and effectively kill them. Alternatively, we will employ Fc-TRAIL (immunoglobulin Fc domain fused TRAIL) in combination with ferroptotic agent as anti-cancer agent. Recently, we reported that these combined agents synergistically enhance apoptosis. We are also interested in investigating how endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response plays an important role in the synergistic interaction between ferroptosis and apoptosis.

Position Requirements: Highly motivated individuals with a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry or molecular biology, a solid background in protein chemistry, work experience in animal tumor models.

Salary Range: Dependent on qualification and experience ($48,000-$50,000).  

Contact Information: If you are interested in this position, please contact me at leeyj@upmc.edu with CV.