Postdoctoral fellowship in organ cryopreservation for transplantation
University of Minnesota Division of Solid Organ Transplantation (Erik Finger, MD/PhD) and University of Minnesota Bioheat and Mass Transfer Laboratory (John Bischof, PhD)
About the Job
Transplantation, regenerative medicine, and cell-based therapies are rapidly developing areas of research that offer great potential for improving human health. However, one of the greatest barriers to translation is the inability to apply these therapies when and where they are needed. Ex vivo biological systems have a limited shelf-life. Donor transplant organs and tissues only remain viable for hours. Engineered cells and tissues can be cultured, but typically with great effort, cost, and limited ability to transport prior to treatment. The objective of our research is to develop methodologies for cryopreservation, or “banking,” of cells and tissues for transplantation and regenerative medicine. The labs of University of Minnesota (UMN) Professors Erik Finger (Surgery) and John Bischof (Mechanical Engineering) through the UMN Organ and Tissue Preservation Center and NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio), are looking for a motivated surgical postdoc to contribute towards making this a reality.
In recent publications, we have shown the ability to cryopreserve kidneys for up to 100 days while preserving full organ function in a transplant model (Han and Sushil Rao et al., Nature Communication, Accepted 2023). We have also shown the ability to cryopreserve pancreatic islets for 9 months and use them to cure diabetes (Zhan and Sushil Rao et al., Nature Medicine, 2022). Our technology platforms enable cryopreservation and rewarming of cells, tissues, and organs of differing sizes and geometries. We plan to continue developing these approaches for clinical translation over the next several years through grant support from three NIH R01s, the NSF ERC ATP-Bio, and additional foundation awards. Areas of interest include kidneys; livers and hepatic cells and tissues; pancreatic islets; reproductive organs; hearts and cardiac systems; and many other developing cryopreservation applications. This highly collaborative and multidisciplinary effort provides extensive training, networking, and mentorship opportunities for clinical, tenure, or industry-track careers. Collaborators through ATP-Bio include Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School, UC Berkeley, and others.
This position will lead the biological aspects of projects focused on kidney cryopreservation for transplantation. Responsibilities include microsurgical procedures; ex vivo organ perfusion; biological assessments; documenting and maintaining protocols; data analysis and summaries; and paper writing. Initial work will focus on rodent models but will transition to larger animal models. The position will have core project responsibilities but contribute across multiple related research projects. Opportunities for contributions and leading proposals exist.
Duties/responsibilities:
30% - Preclinical animal surgical procedures
40% - Ex vivo organ perfusion and biological assessments
10% - SOPs, data summaries, and reporting
10% - General lab maintenance (cleaning, ordering, waste removal, forms/organization).
10% - Meetings