Phd Student

**DFG Research Training Group “Autoimmune Pre-Disease” (GRK 2633)**

The DFG Research Training Group (RTG) “Autoimmune Pre-Disease” (GRK 2633, Spokesperson: Prof. Ralf Ludwig) seeks to employ 10 graduate students from the areas of biology, biochemistry and molecular life sciences.

Autoimmune diseases are a major clinical burden, affecting 4-5% of the population. Importantly, causative treatment is currently not possible, often requiring life-long immunosuppression. While treatment is only applied upon clinical disease manifestation, autoimmune diseases develop over years - starting from the loss of tolerance towards self (autoimmunity), which, upon so far unknown trigger factors, may progress to clinically overt autoimmune disease. Unlike in cancer, for which screening for and treatment of pre-disease prevents disease progression, screening for autoimmune pre-disease is far from clinical routine due to the lack of definite biomarkers. However, if sensitive and specific biomarkers for future autoimmune disease could be identified, the clinical manifestations of the disease might be prevented by avoiding environmental factors that trigger disease or by use of therapy that modulates the destructive process before onset of clinical symptoms. Thus, defining and targeting autoimmune pre-disease is the central, and so far, mainly unaddressed, scientific question of RTG 2633.

The RTG investigates Autoimmune Pre-Disease in a multidisciplinary setting: Principal investigators are from basic sciences, such as Immunology, Genetics, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Systems Medicine, Anatomy, and Nutrition Medicine, as well as from clinical specialties, such as Dermatology and Rheumatology. Experimentally, the RTG focuses on rheumatic diseases and autoimmune skin diseases, such as pemphigus and pemphigoid. Computationally, the diseases are tackled through integrative multi-Omics, machine learning approaches and modelling.

**PhD A8**: Prof. Karsten/ Prof. Köhl: The C5aR2 pathway as a checkpoint for B cell activation in autoimmunity

**Start in our team**

Join our team and start with us **at the next possible date** for **3 years.**

**What we offer**:

- Salaries are according to E13 65% positions (TV-L)
- Free in-house training and further education to give you the best possible support
- Many attractive employee discounts on various online platforms and at various companies
- University sports and fitness at a company rate as a valuable balance to work
- You can find more exciting UKSH benefits here: Benefits (uksh.de)

**What to expect**:

- Structured qualification and mentoring program
- After successful completion of the program and depending on the initial degree of the student, the following degrees can be awarded: Dr. rer. nat., PhD and Dr. hum. biol.

**What you bring along**:

- The prerequisite for entering the program is either a master or diploma degree
- Strong interest in either translational immunological research or bioinformatics
- Experienced in experimental disease models or knowledge in Omics data analysis and/or statistics