EFFecT Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (2025-2028), offering 12 PhD positionsFebruary 21th, 2025 EFFecT (European Training Program to Foster the Full Therapeutic Potential of Antisense Technology across Tissues) is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (2025-2028), offering 12 PhD positions to address tissue-specific delivery challenges, imparting knowledge on diverse ASO modalities, and creating a roadmap for ASO therapeutics in Europe. Vacancies are released via Euraxess in this link: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/296420 Application Deadline 15 Mar 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) The PhD candidates will obtain PhD diplomas from reputed universities within the EFFecT project. The network partners are:
Marie Sklodowska-Curie PhDs are paid a competitive gross salary of 3,400 €/month, adjusted for their host country, a Mobility Allowance of 600 €/month and, for researchers who have a family, a Family Allowance of 660 €/month. All amounts are subject to deductions and taxes. Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies are experiencing a notable surge in development. However, despite this progress, in 2023 only 21 antisense drugs have been approved by regulatory authorities like the FDA and EMA. However, the success of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vast potential of RNA-based therapeutics, leading to an increase in the development of antisense drugs. These ASO therapies are already used for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and the so-called ultra-rare diseases for which it would not have been commercially viable to find a cure, and currently are being evaluated in several clinical trials for a variety of diseases (e.g., prion diseases, Huntington disease, retinal diseases, etc). ASOs are small pieces of (artificial) nucleic acids designed to bind a specific messenger RNA. They might work by binding the altered target and induce its degradation to inhibit the production of the defective (toxic) protein by the disease-causing gene. In other cases, they might bind the target RNA and modify its processing, resulting in the correction of the genetic defect and in the restored production of the protein. The innovation and strength of these versatile drugs lie in their precision: like bullets, they are able to hit only the gene of interest, while avoiding damage to the normal genes. Further development of this technology will provide new therapeutic opportunities to affected individuals, especially to many children. The objectives of EFFecT are to address tissue-specific delivery challenges, imparting knowledge on diverse ASO modalities, and creating a roadmap for ASO therapeutics in Europe. |