PhD-Position Translational Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy

The Goethe University Frankfurt is a leading research institution in the field of immunological and molecular biological research. In the research group “Translational Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy” at the Department of Dermatology of Frankfurt University Hospital (Director: Prof. Dr. med. Bastian Schilling), a PhD position is available at the earliest possible date (limited to a period of three years, part time 65%).

The aim of this doctoral project is the identification and functional validation of HLA peptides, in particular neoantigens that arise from aberrant transcription and translation. The focus is on assessing the immunogenicity of these antigens using state-of-the-art-immunological assays and imaging techniquesin order to determine their potential for cancer immunotherapy.

Your role:

• T-cell assays: Performance and optimization of cell culture experiments to investigate T-cell activation (e.g., ELISpot, intracellular cytokine staining, flow cytometry)


• Functional validation (killing): Establishment and execution of cytotoxicity assays (killing assays) to test the effectiveness of antigen-specific T-cells against tumor cells


• Imaging: Application of microscopic techniques (live-cell imaging) to visualize interactions between T-cells and tumor cellsas well as antigen presentation


• Scientific communication: Presentation of results at conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals