A postdoctoral position is currently available at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis TN, USA
Job Description
Therapeutic interventions could be an important line of defense against influenza, especially when vaccine efficacy is low or vaccine is unavailable. However, several factors limit the effectiveness of antiviral therapy against influenza. The major challenge in antiviral influenza therapy is that only one class of drugs, neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors (NAIs), is currently available and thus the discovery and development of novel drugs and approaches are urgently needed. Combination therapy is an attractive approach for successful management of influenza. Possible benefits of combination therapy for influenza infection include potentiation of antiviral activity and reduction of emergence of drug-resistant variants.
Ongoing experiments are underway to identify potential benefits of combination treatment with NAI and T-705 against human H1N1 and H3N2 and pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza viruses. T-705 is a novel, non-natural nucleoside analogue that was shown to inhibit influenza virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and is currently undergoing clinical trials in the United States. We recently found that lethal mutagenesis is a key antiviral mechanism of action by T-705 against influenza viruses. As with all mutagenic agents, T-705 increases mutation frequency in the influenza virus genome. Such a mechanism would add to the advantages of an antiviral strategy that targets the viral mutation rate rather than viral proteins.
The successful candidate will work across multiple disciplines to conduct an antiviral project for influenza. The preferred candidate will be proficient with commonly utilized laboratory techniques in cell and molecular biology, tissue culture and mouse and ferret animal models.
Job Qualifications
Highly motivated individuals with a PhD and/or MD with experience in virology and molecular biology, with evidence of scientific accomplishment, are encouraged to apply. Prior experience with influenza viruses, tissue culture and animal models is highly preferred.
Applications
Interested applicants should send their curriculum vitae, a one‐page description of research interests, and names and contact information of three references to: elena.govorkova@stjude.org