Thesis work, 60 credits - Investigating Epithelial Regeneration in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Are you passionate about understanding chronic lung diseases and eager to contribute to the development of new therapeutics? If so, we invite you to apply for this exciting master’s thesis project!

About AstraZeneca:
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-centered biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering, developing, and commercializing prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we’re more than a global leading pharmaceutical company. At AstraZeneca, we're dedicated to being a Great Place to Work and empowering employees to push the boundaries of science and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit. 

About the Opportunity:
As a Thesis Worker at AstraZeneca, you’ll find an environment that’s full of unique opportunities and exciting challenges. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue your areas of interest whilst equally developing a broad skillset and knowledge base to get the best out of your experience. You’ll be working on meaningful projects to make an impact and deliver real value for our patients and our business.

Thesis work description: 
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive fibrotic disease characterized by excessive scarring of lung tissue, leading to a decline in respiratory function and high mortality rates. While advancements have been made in understanding the clinical presentation of IPF, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood, hindering effective therapeutic development.

Within AstraZeneca's Respiratory and Immunology (R&I) division, we are dedicated to creating cutting-edge in vitro and in vivo model systems to comprehend the biology of IPF and discover new drug candidates. This master's thesis project aims to support our model development efforts, focusing specifically on epithelial regeneration, which is crucial to our therapeutic strategy.

Key Objectives:

• Work with advanced 3D culture systems of epithelial cells and lung tissues such as air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures and precision-cut lung slices (PCLS).
• Evaluate Epithelial Cell phenotype in response to profibrotic mediators in vitro and in vivo and investigate the effects of potentially relevant drug compounds using molecular biology techniques such as RT-qPCR, Western blot, ELISA, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or flow cytometry.
• Conduct Functional Assays to measure ciliary beating and trans-epithelial electric resistance, contributing to the understanding of epithelial cell functionality in the context of fibrosis.
• Explore In Vivo Techniques (if time permits) to gain hands-on experience with in vivo murine work to deepen understanding of the disease model and therapeutic interventions.

Essential Requirements:

• Ongoing master’s studies within relevant discipline
• Scientific curiosity as well as good communication and documentation skills are critical
• Skills in any of the methods described above is a plus

So, what’s next? 
Apply today and take the chance to be part of making a difference, making connections, and gaining the tools and experience to open doors and fulfil your potential. We can´t wait to hear from you! 

We welcome your application as soon as possible, but ahead of the scheduled closing date 27th April 2025. In the event that we identify suitable candidates ahead of the scheduled closing date, we reserve the right to withdraw the vacancy earlier than published.