Career Center
Research Assistant II ~ Vanderbilt Eye Institute
Vanderbilt Health
Description Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded and your abilities challenged. It is a place where your diversity — of culture, thinking, learning and leading — is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.
Click Here To View The VUMC Promise of Discovery
Department Summary:
At the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, we strive to make life better for adults and children with eye conditions including glaucoma, vision loss and diseases of the retina. We treat patients from across Tennessee and the Southeast. Our doctors, researchers and support staff use the latest technologies and methods, and we conduct vital vision research that translates to better treatments.
Shift Hours:
Varied Shift ; Weekend or after-hours work may be required, as needed
Your Role:
Research Focus:
Inflammation and new vessel growth in the retina can lead to vision loss from swelling, bleeding, scarring, and tissue traction as seen in diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. Our goal is to repurpose drugs previously developed to target inflammation and vascular growth in non-ocular systems to prevent, abort, or revert these potentially blinding conditions. We use human retinal cells from donor eyes as well as animal models to achieve these goals. P harmacologic and genetic approaches are employed in our lab to block the function of target receptors (inhibitors, siRNA, or neutralizing antibodies in culture, and receptor knockout mouse strains or pharmacologic inhibition by drug delivery in animal models of disease) to discover and/or develop new therapies.
We are looking forward to working with a highly motivated individual who can collaborate with others in lab and who exhibits a high level of technical expertise as well as professionalism, dedication, reliability, and intellectual curiosity.
Key Functions and Expected Performances:
b. Process and analyze data demonstrating keen analytical and problem-solving skills.
g. Perform data analysis and create graphs/reports.
a. Procure, organize and prepare lab supplies needed to complete the work.
a. Effec tively communicate in oral and written formats.
Preferred Education, Skills, and Experiences:
· MS/PhD
· Experience in an academic research lab. · 2-3 years of rigorous laboratory experience or the equivalent · Preference will be given to candidates with a demonstrated ability to communicate research findings through publication in high impact, peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national meetings.
· Preference will be given to individuals who want to establish themselves in a stable long employment relationship with the laboratory and who are interested in continued professional development.
· Laboratory skills that are sought include:
- Breeding mice and working with animal models of human disease.
- Histology: sectioning, immunohistochemistry, imaging.
- Protein purification and analysis: WB, ELISA, IPs.
- Cellular and molecular biology: transfections, qRT-PCR, genotyping.
- Cell/Tissue cultures: cell cultures and in-vitro cell assays.
- Toxicity/pharmacokinetic assays using inhibitors.
Examples of lab Assays
In-vitro:
· Cell culture (human retinal endothelial cells, human Muller cells, human microglia)
· Cell migration assays
· Cell proliferation assays
· Tube formation assays
· Cytokine induction assays (ELISA, RT-PCR)
· Immuno-histo/cyto-chemistry
· Receptor activation assays (WB)
· Proteome profiling assays
· Trans-endothelial electrical resistance assays
· Leukocyte adhesion assays
In-vivo:
· Mouse colony management (breeding and genotyping mice)
· Live retinal imaging and functional assays (optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, electroretinogram (ERG))
· Mouse models of retinal disease (STZ-induced diabetes, ischemia-reperfusion injury, oxygen-induced retinopathy)
· Retinal dissection and ex-vivo analysis after therapy (leukostasis assays, vascular leakage assay (Evans blue extravasation)) VUMC Recent Accomplishments
Because we are committed to providing the best in patient care, education and research, we are proud of our recent accomplishments:
· US News & World Report: #1 Hospital in Tennessee, #1 Health Care Provider in Nashville, #1 Audiology ( Bill Wilkerson Center ), 12 adult and 10 pediatric clinical specialties ranked among the nation's best, #15 Education and Training
· Truven Health Analytics: among the top 50 cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S.
· Becker's Hospital Review: one of the "100 Greatest Hospitals in America"
· The Leapfrog Group: grade "A" in Hospital Safety Score
· National Institutes of Health: among the top 10 grant awardees for medical research in the US
· Magnet Recognition Program: Vanderbilt nurses are the only group honored in Tennessee
· Nashville Business Journal: Middle Tennessee's healthiest employer
· American Hospital Association: among the 100 "Most Wired" medical systems in the US
Download the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Facts 2016-2017 to learn more about our services and facilities.
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