Oferta TFM | ID 14

How do cells build human organs? What happens when this process goes wrong?

We are looking for an outstanding Master's student to join our laboratory and investigate these questions using cutting-edge human neural tube and intestinal organoids. By combining stem cell biology, CRISPR genome editing, advanced microscopy and quantitative cell biology, the project aims to uncover the mechanisms that drive tissue morphogenesis and how their disruption leads to congenital disease.

The project will focus on human neural tube and intestinal organoids, two powerful stem cell-derived models that faithfully recapitulate early human organogenesis. Building on our recent work published in Nature Communications, the student will explore how membrane trafficking, autophagy, and epithelial morphogenesis cooperate to drive tissue architecture and how defects in these processes contribute to congenital disorders, including neural tube defects.

The student will receive hands-on training in state-of-the-art techniques, including human pluripotent stem cell culture, organoid engineering, CRISPR genome editing, advanced fluorescence microscopy, and quantitative image analysis. The project offers the opportunity to address fundamental biological questions while developing a broad experimental skill set in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment.

We are looking for a curious, enthusiastic, and independent student with a strong interest in developmental biology, stem cells, and cell biology.

Outstanding Master's students will have the opportunity to continue in the laboratory as PhD candidates, subject to mutual interest.