PhD student in immunology at Biomedical Center, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
A PhD student position is available to study neonatal immune response. Neonatal immune responses are weak and short lived and they are susceptible to infections. We have shown that adjuvants can accelerate and enhance neonatal immune responses and prolong their persistence. The PhD project will focus on the effects of novel adjuvants on the quality and strength of antibody response, phenotype and function of immune cells, gene expression, longevity of antibody secreting cells and immune memory and protection from infections. The project will involve the use of neonatal mice, isolation of cells from lymphoid organs, immunohistology and cellular analysis by ELISPOT and flow cytometry, antibody measurements by ELISA and analysis of gene expression by RT_PCR or sequencing, as well as other immunological, cellular and biochemical methods.