Host institution: AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Vienna, Austria
Host department: Center for Health & Bioresources / Molecular Diagnostics
Supervisor: Dr. Christa Noehammer & Dr. Winfried Neuhaus

Project description
The present ESR project will investigate the uptake and transport of extracellular vesicles (EVs) with a focus on biological barriers. Barrier studies will include the blood-brain barrier as well as the blood-saliva barrier applying human and mouse cell model systems. EVs derived from control and stimulated (e.g. via cytokines or hypoxia) prostate cancer cell lines will be studied for their effects on biological barrier properties and their uptake and transport processes across brain endothelial as well as salivary or oral epithelial cells. Whereas EV uptake and transport will be followed by applying specific dyes and labelling constructs, changes in exosome cargo will be studied e.g. using OLINK panel assays for protein profiling and small RNA sequencing for miRNA profiling. In addition, three secondments for a time period of 1-3 months are foreseen for the AIT ESR. At Erasmus MC, the ESR candidate will learn about a specific EV quantification method (EVQuant). In Dr. Falcon-Perez’s lab (Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences) she/he will study the routes on labelled EVs in the oral mucosa and brain of mice. At EVLifeCycle partner GenomeScan the ESR will learn about dedicated NGS technologies and related bioinformatics analysis.

Website
Dr. Winfried Neuhaus: http://www.ait.ac.at/ueber-das-ait/researcher-profiles/?tx_aitprofile_pi1%5Bname%5D=Neuhaus%20Winfried

Contact details
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Christa Noehammer: christa.noehammer@ait.ac.at