PhD position – Antigen–RNA complexes and immune tolerance in cancer vaccination

id="offer-description" class="ecl-u-type-heading-2 ecl-u-mt-none ecl-u-mb-l">Offer Description A 3-year doctoral contract 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. Supervisor: Dr Patrick Brest . Location: Nice, France . Project description . Therapeutic vaccination against established cancers remains limited by immune tolerance to self antigens. Complexes associating a protein antigen with an RNA component can engage innate nucleic acid sensing pathways and may help overcome this tolerance, but the determinants of their immunogenicity are still poorly defined. This project aims to: . Characterise the cellular and molecular determinants of immunogenicity for antigen–RNA complexes, including the innate sensors engaged, the responsive cell types and the contribution of the RNA component. Determine how these determinants shape antigen presentation and therapeutic efficacy in preclinical tumour models, and assess their potential as a broader vaccine platform. Approaches . Reporter cell lines and primary immune cells, imaging and flow cytometry, in vitro RNA and protein biochemistry, preclinical tumour models and immune monitoring. Candidate profile . Master’s degree (M2 or equivalent) in life sciences, including cell or molecular biology, immunology or cancer biology, with hands-on laboratory expe