PhD position – Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), viral mimicry and innate immunity in lung cancer

id="offer-description" class="ecl-u-type-heading-2 ecl-u-mt-none ecl-u-mb-l">Offer Description A three-year PhD position is available at the Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN – Inserm / CNRS / Université Côte d’Azur), within the University Hospital Institute RespirERA (IHU RespirERA), supported by the France 2030 programme. The project will be conducted under the supervision of Dr Baharia Mograbi and will investigate the regulation of tumour viral mimicry and its impact on antitumour immunity and response to therapy. PROJECT . Viral mimicry can arise from the expression of endogenous retroelements, including human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), and the accumulation of immunostimulatory double-stranded RNA. These RNAs can activate innate antiviral pathways and interferon signalling, potentially enhancing tumour immunogenicity. The project has two main objectives: . Characterise the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating tumour viral mimicry under anticancer treatment, with a focus on HERV expression and immunostimulatory RNAs. Investigate how these intrinsic antiviral responses affect tumour immunogenicity and sensitivity to immunotherapy. APPROACHES . The project will combine lung cancer cell models, quantification of HERV expression and immunostimulatory RNAs, analysis of innate antiviral signalling, and bioinformatic analysis of RNA-seq datasets, including publicly available data. RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT . The successful candidate will join the