CALL FOR APPLICATIONS (Call ID: 183/2022)
Post/s of Full-Time Post-Doctoral Researcher - Research Support Officer III or IV
Project FibroCanBiome – “Preclinical and Clinical Evidence on the Alteration of Cannabinoids-Gut Microbiome link in Fibromyalgia: a Proof-of-Concept Study in Malta”
Funded by the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR)
Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
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Further Information
1. The use of medical/recreational marijuana and its legal market size is on the rise worldwide. Medical cannabis has potential benefits for different diseases, but the lack of well-performed biomedical and clinical research has hindered its therapeutic use, including in fibromyalgia (FM). Indeed, conflicting results exist on the use of cannabinoids in FM due to both the variability of medical cannabis products and the wide spectrum of the disease. It has been long suggested that gut microbiota, pain, and
many other comorbidities are linked, but till the present day, the potential causal correlations between FM, the gut microbiome, and cannabinoids are unknown. We will use cutting-edge in vivo and in vitro technologies in a fibromyalgia rodent model. These studies will then be translated into a cohort of FM patients to reveal the mechanisms of action of plant and endoCB and prove their translational potential for FM treatment. Further information may be obtained by contacting Professor Giuseppe Di Giovanni at
giuseppe.digiovanni@um.edu.mt.
2. The appointee will be expected to undertake the following tasks:
a. Execute and analyze behavioral studies in animal models with specific behavioral protocols;
b. Performing stereotaxic surgeries;
c. developing and implementing in vivo electrophysiological electroencephalography (EEG) protocols to
understand neuronal and circuit-level function in both normal and diseased brains;
d. train new personnel on in vivo electrophysiology and behaviour techniques;
e. produce deliverables and related reports within the stipulated time frames as specified in the project description;
f. keep detailed progress reports and abide to all the conditions imposed by the project;
g. assist in the dissemination process with the relevant stakeholders;
h. attend project internal meetings and consortium meetings;
i. travel and attend meetings/conferences as the need arises;
j. take part in the submission of EU-funded research proposals to sustain related research beyond the funding of the project; and
k. perform any other project-related task as instructed by the project coordinator and key experts.

Research Support Officer IV: initial €41,600.