Jobs in Structural Biology and Related Fields

Post-doctoral position in STA and SPA image processing

CNB Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid, Spain

Application deadline: 28 Feb 2021

Currently the laboratory has two major grants:

One is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and studies EGFRs and associated complexes on the cell membrane. EGFR is a membrane protein of around 200 kDa involved in breast cancer and currently the best target in breast cancer therapy. In this study our collaborators at Zurich-ETH produce cryo-ET tilt-series which are then transferred to Madrid for their image processing analysis. Our work aims to implement new processing pipelines by combing our own developed algorithms with different subtomogram averaging softwares within the Scipion framework in order solve the structure of the EGFR membrane protein at the highest possible resolution in a close to native environment.

The other project focuses on the structural analysis of CoV2 variants mapping on the Spike, mostly by Single Particle Analysis methods. The Biocomputing Unit excels in the development of new image processing approaches to tackle hard problems (see some enclosed recent publications).

1- FSC-Q: a CryoEM map-to-atomic model quality validation based on the local Fourier shell correlation. Ramírez-Aportela E, Maluenda D, Fonseca YC, Conesa P, Marabini R, Heymann JB, Carazo JM, Sorzano COS. Nat Commun. 12(1):42. 2021

2 -Measuring local-directional resolution and local anisotropy in cryo-EM maps. Vilas JL, Tagare HD, Vargas J, Carazo JM, Sorzano COS. Nat Commun. 11(1):55. 2020

3 -Continuous flexibility analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike prefusion structures. Melero R, Sorzano COS, Foster B, Vilas JL, Martínez M, Marabini R, Ramírez-Aportela E, Sanchez-Garcia R, Herreros D, Del Caño L, Losana P, Fonseca-Reyna YC, Conesa P, Wrapp D, Chacon P, McLellan JS, Tagare HD, Carazo JM. IUCrJ. 7(Pt 6):1059-69. 2020

4 - Measurement of local resolution in electron tomography. Vilas JL, Oton J, Messaoudi C, Melero R, Conesa P, Ramirez-Aportela E, Mota J, Martinez M, Jimenez A, Marabini R, Carazo JM, Vargas J, Sorzano COS. J Struct Biol X. 4:100016. 2019

5 - DeepRes: a new deep-learning- and aspect-based local resolution method for electron-microscopy maps. Ramírez-Aportela E, Mota J, Conesa P, Carazo JM, Sorzano COS. IUCrJ. 6(6): 1054 – 1063. 2019

Our laboratory is placed at the National Center of Biotechnology in Madrid, a reference institute in Spain in cryo-EM equipped with two microscopes with direct detector (Talos Arctica and CryoARM 300) and a FIB-SEM microscope, providing a very immersive and interdisciplinary environment.

Interested candidates should send their CV's and letter of interest to Blanca Benitez: blanca@cnb.csic.es