PhD position - LIFELINE: ex vivo Lung ventIlation and perFusion Experimental pLatform for PKPD studies of INhaled thErapeutics - 36 months fixed-term contract

JOB ENVIRONMENT:

Institut Mines-Télécom is the leading public group of engineering and management Grandes Écoles in France. Consisting of eight public graduate Grandes Écoles and two subsidiary graduate schools, Institut Mines-Télécom leads and develops a rich ecosystem of partner schools, economic, academic and institutional partners, key players in education, research and economic development.

Mines Saint-Étienne, a graduate school of the Institut Mines-Télécom, is responsible for education, research, innovation, industrial transfer and scientific culture dissemination. With 2,500 students, 500 staff and a budget of €50m, it has 3 campuses dedicated to the industry of the future, health and well-being, and digital sovereignty and microelectronics. It is ranked in the top 15 graduate engineering schools in France and the top 500 universities worldwide.

The 2023-2027 strategy of Mines Saint-Etienne is in line with that of Institut Mines Telecom. It aims to:

• · Support the ecological, digital and generational transitions and educate the people involved
• · Support national and European sovereignty in microelectronics and digital technolog

To support this strategy, it is recruiting a PhD student.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

LIFELINE: ex vivo Lung ventIlation and perFusion Experimental pLatform for PKPD studies of INhaled thErapeutics.

The position is based on the Saint-Étienne campus.

Environment: This doctoral position will be located in the thriving environment of the INSERM Unit U1059 (French national institute for health and medical research, https://sainbiose-lab.fr), supported by a large portfolio of academic and industry funding, at the School of Medicine campus in Saint Etienne (Jean Monnet university), and in direct proximity with the University Hospital and the Center for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering of Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Etienne, one of the top 10 French graduate schools for science and technology. The team has over 10 years of international expertise in various ventilated ex vivo models (Figure 1), and has already developed a ventilated-perfused (V-P) ex vivo model for 2 years.

Figure 1: Illustrations of the ventilated ex vivo models developed by the laboratory for the study of inhaled particles. (A) Schematic of a porcin lung model ventilated under negative pressure with 1: stereolithographed human ENT tract; 2: one-way valves; 3: artificial trachea; 4: filter to collect the exhaled dose; 5: ex vivo respiratory system of an animal; 6: instrumented hypobaric chamber; 7: modulatable vacuum generator. (B) Photo of the porcin model. (C) Application for mechanical ventilation. (D) Neonatal model with rabbit thorax.

The team is inherently multidisciplinary, and will bring the specific skills needed for each WP to ensure the success of the project. The successful candidate will be invited to author at least two publications and will have the opportunity to participate to national and international meetings. Thanks to this expertise in the field of ex vivo ventilation, the first prototype enabling ex vivo ventilation and perfusion of porcine lungs was designed and developed in our laboratory (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Ex vivo V-P model developed for lung transplantation. (A) Perfusion circuit; (B) negative pressure ventilation and perfusion housing of porcine lungs; (C) perfusion flow regulation system; (D) adjustment of negative pressure ventilation parameters.

Indeed, the addition of perfusion to our previous model presents a major technological challenge as “fresh” respiratory tracts must be harvested and used immediately after the animal's death, imposing surgical restrictions, changes to supply chains and additional ethical constraints. After initial validation tests several technological challenges were overcome by adding mobilization, rewarming, modulation of specific negative pressure ventilation and recycling of perfusion fluids.

Lead and collaborations: the scientific objective of the LIFELINE project is to develop the first ventilation-perfusion ex vivo platform for the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) study of inhaled treatments. It will make possible to study the quantitative effects of different parameters on the absorption of inhaled drug in order to improve and personalize therapies and diagnostic contrast agents according to the different respiratory conditions. In order to achieve the success of this technological innovation, the work will be divided into 4 work packages (WP), which are described below (Figure 3):

The objective of this doctoral thesis is to achieve the WP of the LIFELINE project with publication at different stages of the project (Figure 3). This 3-year position will be co-supervised by Pr Sophie Perinel Ragey, MD-PhD, intensivist and pulmonologist, who leads the research topic on ex vivo models in the laboratory and Pr Jérémie Pourchez, PhD, senior researcher at Ecole des Mines de Saint Etienne, expert in biomedical engineering and aerosol science (main publications available at https://www.emse.fr/~pourchez/) . In addition, this project will lead to local cooperation with the University Hospital of Saint Etienne and other teams working on the topic. The team has developed multiple collaboration with national and international teams to study aerosolized particles and models.

The position is based on the Saint-Étienne campus.

PROFIL SOUGHT:

The successful candidate will work on a widely translational panel of experiments from respiratory physiology to ex vivo modeling, engineering, and finally pharmacokinetics. By the start of the position (~October 2025), the applicant must hold a Master 2 in biological or pharmaceutical sciences. Basic knowledge in aerosol science, anatomy and physiology will be appreciated. The candidate is expected to show curiosity for medical research and healthcare, be a team player, and willing to progress in English and French, whichever language(s) is(are) non-native. Equal consideration will be given to candidates regardless of gender, origin and nationality.

The trained PhD student at the end of his/her thesis will have a highly attractive and sought-after multidisciplinary profile. Equal consideration will be given to candidates regardless of gender, origin and nationality. Annual net salary is around 22k € a year (about 1900€/month).

ideally:

Holder of a Master 2 degree in biological sciences, chemistry or pharmacology

You have the following skills, knowledge and experience:

An autonomous candidate with a strong attraction for the experimental side and a sharp scientific curiosity is preferred. Knowledge of chemistry/CAD/aerosol characterization will be appreciated.

You recognise yourself in the following abilities and skills:

autonomous candidate with a strong attraction for the experimental side and a sharp scientific curiosity.

WHY JOIN US:

Institut Mines-Telecom is characterised by:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m39m6hdNC48

• A scientific environment of excellence
• A group with entities throughout France

Mines Saint-Etienne is distinguished by:

• A privileged working environment with a high student supervision rate and a high environment rate (support and back-up functions)
• First-rate experimental and digital resources
• Significant contract research activity (€11m/year in Research and Innovation contracts), mainly with industrial partners
• 25% international students, Member of the T.I.M.E. network and the EULIST European University
• A centre for scientific, technical and industrial culture - La Rotonde - which is unique in France, and which has a major impact on society (> 50,000 visitors per year)
• Pleasant workplace, easily accessible by public transport and close to motorways
• Public transport costs reimbursed up to 75% (subject to conditions)
• Sustainable mobility package
• Staff committee that subsidises sports, leisure, cultural and social events and activities
• The possibility of partial remote working
• 49 days annual leave

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Recruitment conditions:

• Fixed-term contract for a period of 36 months
• Desired start date: 1st October 2025
• Remuneration will be set according to the candidate's profile, based on the rules defined by the Institut Mines Télécom's management framework
• Full time
• Position based in Saint-Étienne

The position is open to all, with accommodation available on request for candidates with disabilities.

The job is open to civil servants and/or the general public.

All applications may be subject to an administrative enquiry.

How to apply:

Applications (CV, covering letter, letter of recommendation if applicable) must be submitted on the RECRUITEE platform no later than 

10/04/2025.
https://institutminestelecom.recruitee.com/o/phd-36-mois

As part of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy, École des Mines de Saint Etienne is an employer that is committed to fair treatment of all applicants.

For further information:

For further information about the position, please contact: please contact sophie.perinel.ragey@univ-st-etienne.fr and pourchez@emse.fr with a cover letter indicating your motivation, experience, and research interests. Join a CV, an upto-date master graduate transcript, at least one support/recommendation letter, and past communications if applicable (contribution to a scientific article, review, poster…).

For all administrative information, please contact:

Milica PETKOVIC– HR Administrator

Email: milica.petkovic@emse.fr
Tel: + 33 (0)4 77 42 02 08

Useful links:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/

https://www.imt.fr/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUeuC5iQiN0

Protecting your data:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Informations-des-candidats-sur-les-traitements-de-donn%C3%A9es-personnelles.pdf

Useful links:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/

https://www.imt.fr/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUeuC5iQiN0

Protecting your data:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Informations-des-candidats-sur-les-traitements-de-donn%C3%A9es-personnelles.pdf