Background of the project: This position is integrated in the research consortium PERCOLATE.
The overall aim of PERCOLATE is to establish a rapid and easy-to-use diagnostic test panel, based on detection of functional autoantibodies targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR-fAAb) in combination with GPCR-fAAb mediated ischaemia-reperfusion parameters, accompanied by profiling of immune cells and viral reactivation in patients with Long-COVID (LC) and Post-Vaccination Syndrome (Post-VAC) for a personalized patients’ stratification and care.
Your task will be to develop alternative methods to the assay by Wallukat et al., in which primary rat cardiomyocytes were used, to detect the functional active GPCR-AAbs from patients’ sera (~300 samples). Examples of assays are genetically encoded reporter lines or visualization of receptor internalization. The cell system has to be a human system like hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes but could also be a human standard cell line. In addition, we expect the development of a research project aiming at a better mechanistic understanding of the disease with the focus of the role of autoantibodies (or alternatively a focus that the applicant has experience in; e.g., immune cells).