BACKGROUND

The Berger lab at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC (https://anesthesiology.duke.edu/research/berger-lab) is looking for a talented postdoc, biostatistician and/or staff research scientist with experience in proteomics analysis (or similar 'omics analysis and/or statistical background), to work on our NIH R01-funded project "APOE4-dependent regulation of CSF Complement Pathway Activation in the Development of Alzheimer's Disease". This project seeks to understand how and why APOE4 increases the risk for Alzheimer's Disease. In particular, we are interested in the effect of APOE4 allele copy number on CSF complement protein levels and pathway activation throughout adult human life, based on our preliminary data that demonstrated altered CSF complement levels as a function of increasing APOE4 allele number in the ADNI consortium proteomics dataset (PMID 33337362).

The rationale behind this work is that excessive complement-mediated synaptic pruning in APOE4 carriers could increase Alzheimer's disease risk, a hypothesis supported by our preliminary human data and by data from multiple mouse models from several different labs. This work will involve the analysis of unbiased mass spec-based proteomic data and confirmatory ELISA assays performed on ~500 CSF samples from APOE4 heterozygotes, homozygotes and non-carriers from across the adult human lifespan. This unique repository of hundreds of human CSF samples comes from several of our studies that have obtained CSF, as well as from collaborators across the USA and Europe.

Additional aims of this project will study the relationship between CSF complement pathway activation and long term cognitive decline (independent of Abeta and tau pathologies), and determine the effect of modulating APOE signaling in vivo on postoperative CNS complement activation in older adults (using unique perioperative CSF samples from our MARBLE trial- see PMID 32417770).
This is an excellent opportunity for anyone whose PhD work (or recent work) included proteomics analysis (especially neuro proteomics) or similar statistical approaches. The actual mass spectroscopy assays for this project will be performed by the Duke proteomics facility, though opportunities exist to learn more about the core facility mass spec rig and to learn about how to run these samples are run on it.

REQUIREMENTS

PhD or equivalent degree.

COMPENSATION

Pay is commensurate with experience. The postdoc or research scientist will receive full benefits (including health insurance) from Duke University Medical Center, and will benefit from rich collaboration with the Duke/UNC Alzheimer's Disease Center and the larger neuroscience community at Duke.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested applicants should email Dr Berger at miles.berger[at]duke.edu with a copy of their CV and a statement of their interest.