Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Overview

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization providing adult cancer treatment and groundbreaking research focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute‑designated cancer center in Washington. With a track record of global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID‑19 vaccines, Fred Hutch has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers.

Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Together, our fully integrated research and clinical care teams seek to discover new cures to the world’s deadliest diseases and make life beyond cancer a reality. At Fred Hutch we value collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity and respect.

Our mission is directly tied to the humanity, dignity and inherent value of each employee, patient, community member and supporter. Our commitment to learning across our differences and similarities makes us stronger. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems.

The Lampe and Lastwika labs at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center have a joint opening for a Post‑Doctoral Research Fellow interested in translating autoantibodies produced by B lymphocytes into tumor diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Our labs integrate state‑of‑the‑art methods from biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and immunology to isolate tumor‑specific autoantibodies directly from cancer patients.

A major focus of our joint work is to study how B cells and the autoantibodies they produce recognize and target tumor antigens. We have demonstrated that tumor‑specific autoantibodies can be excellent biomarkers of lung tumorigenesis and can be detected prior to diagnosis. Using our unique approach of capturing autoantibodies bound to their native tumor‑derived epitopes ex vivo, we have shown that they target post‑translational modifications with high specificity.

With this knowledge, we isolate post‑translational tumor‑specific B cells directly from patients. Our goal is to translate these findings into antibody‑based theranostic applications. Depending on a fellow’s interests, projects include lung cancer early detection assays, immunoPET imaging, and antibody‑based therapeutics. Most of our work is completed using highly sought cohorts of human samples and techniques including immunofluorescence microscopy, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, molecular engineering, flow cytometry and microarray piezoelectric printing.

Fellows will be involved in all aspects of research, from experimental design to manuscript preparation and publication. A successful candidate must have excellent communication and organizational skills, the ability to develop creative approaches to experimental design, and thrive both independently and in collaborative research. Our lab is committed to maintaining a supportive and inclusive environment and is seeking highly motivated fellows who fit this ethos.

In terms of career development, our autoantibody platform is widely applicable to diseases including cancer, autoimmunity and infectious diseases. Previous lab fellows have entered both industry and academia, highlighting a strength of our translational lab.

• A recent Ph.D. in a relevant field
• Knowledge and experience in cancer biology, biochemistry, or immunology
• Track record of productive research
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team

The annual base salary range for this position is from $80,172 to $91,304, and pay offered will be based on experience and qualifications.

This position may be eligible for relocation assistance.

Although Fred Hutch is not sponsoring most H‑1B visas at this time, candidates who already hold an H‑1B sponsored by another organization and are currently in the U.S. may be eligible for this position.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center…