The Mangalmurti Laboratory, in the Department of Medicine's Divison of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, invites applications for a postdoctoral position focused on evaluating red blood cells (RBCs) as a novel liquid biopsy platform for cancer detection and disease monitoring. This industry-sponsored project will investigate the biological basis, analytical performance, and translational potential of RBC-associated tumor DNA (rtDNA) as a new substrate for precision oncology applications. The laboratory recently discovered that RBCs rapidly acquire and retain tumor-derived DNA, revealing an unexpected role for RBCs in cancer biology and liquid biopsy. Emerging data suggest that RBC-associated tumor DNA may provide a sensitive and complementary source of tumor-derived genetic material that can overcome some of the limitations of conventional plasma-based approaches.

The successful candidate will lead studies integrating in vitro tumor–RBC co-culture systems, preclinical cance...