Looking for a Ph.D. (F.P.I.) Candidate for the Neuropharmacology and Pain group, University of Barcelona

IP: Francisco Ciruela
Contact: fciruela en ub.edu

Description:
We are looking for a motivated, hard-working, and enthusiastic PhD student to join the Neuropharmacology and Pain research group at the University of Barcelona (http://www.ub.edu/neuropharmpain/). The selected candidate will apply for a 4-year FPI fellowship associated with the project entitled “Lighting-up dopamine-related disorders: Towards a GPCR oligomer-tailored pharmacotherapy”, recently granted by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.

Dopamine (DA) plays a crucial role in several brain functions and is involved in the pathogenesis of numerous psychiatric and neurological disorders. While restoring dysregulated dopaminergic neurotransmission through DA receptor-based pharmacotherapy, using antagonist (antipsychotics) and agonist (i.e. antiparkinsonian drugs), constitutes first-line treatment for schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease, respectively, the advent of new pharmacological possibilities (i.e. D2R oligomer-tailored agents, photopharmacology or nanobodies) would open new avenues for the refinement of interventions in chronic treatment regimes. Aligned with this context, this project seeks to investigate the functional interaction of dopaminergic neurotransmission (i.e., D2R) with other signaling systems (i.e., A2AR, mGlu5R and GPR37). These novel targets, particularly the orphan GPR37, serve not only as subjects for the development of new drugs for the pharmacological tool kit but also as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis. In general, the results obtained from this project are expected to provide a deep understanding of the pharmacology of the D2R-A2AR-mGlu5R-GPR37 interaction and help to identify potential biomarkers or design combined therapies in the future.
Background of the group: List of publications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=ciruela+f&sort=date
Candidate*:
The holder of the grant will be expected to complete a Ph.D. degree in the Doctoral Program in Biomedicine (http://www.ub.edu/doctorat_biomedicina/) or in Medicine and Translational Research (https://www.ub.edu/portal/web/medicina-ciencies-salut/doctorat-medicina-recerca-translacional) during his/her grant tenure.
Candidate with a grade and a master's degree in biomedicine or neuroscience (or relative) and an average score ≥ 8.2/10 are welcome.
●Good English level
●Experience in biomedical research will be valued
●The grant will cover stages abroad to expand scientific training.
Interested applicants should send a letter of interest by e-mail to Francisco Ciruela (fciruela@ub.edu) including: i) CV; ii) Academic records (grade and master)
Deadline: September 20th, 2024

• We may offer a three-month contract to support competitive Ph.D. applications until the FPI fellowship is resolved.