Our lab studies the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying small vessel diseases of the brain, a group of diseases that are among the main causes of stroke and dementia worldwide.

 The lab has a longstanding interest in CADASIL, the most prevalent hereditary small vessel disease caused by mutations in the Notch3 receptor, and has produced some of the seminal work in this field. Our recent landmark studies showed that the extracellular domain of Notch3 abnormally accumulates in granular deposits at a strategic location within the gliovascular unit in patients and mice with CADASIL, and that this process initiates the pathogenic cascade.

The focus of the position will be to further investigate the mechanism of toxicity of Notch3ECD in CADASIL, and assess the therapeutic potential of candidate compounds, as part of a collaborative project entitled “From Target Identification to Next Generation Therapies for cerebral Small Vessel Diseases”. The project will use already available genetically engineered mice, iPS cells and tissues from patients, in combination with multidisciplinary approaches including biochemistry, mass spectrometry/proteomics, immunohistochemistry and vascular physiology.  

The applicant must hold a PhD or MD or MD/PhD degree within the last 0-2 years and is expected to have a strong record of scientific productivity with publications as first author in internationally renowned journals. The applicant should have a strong background in (cerebro)vascular biology and biochemistry as well as prior hands-on experience working with animal models for CNS diseases.

The position is available for an initial two years-appointment which may be renewable for up to four years total based on performance.

Interested applicants should send a CV, statement of research interests, publications list and contact details for 3 references —all documents within a single PDF file — to anne.joutel@inserm.fr