Join the MENTOR Doctoral Network

The metabolic control of cell growth by mTOR in pathophysiology

APPLY ABOUT

News

Launch of the doctoral candidate recruitment program starting January 28th

READ

The MENTOR project, winner of the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023 call for proposals.

READ

Thriving Ideas Shared at the Brainstorming Session with MENTOR Project Beneficiaries

READ

About

The multi-disciplinary training network MENTOR focuses on the mTOR (mammalian/mechanistic Target Of Rapamycin) network, a central signaling hub that integrates, nutritional cues and controls cell growth and metabolism.

Aberrant mTOR activity underlies a wide range of pathologies, including age-related diseases with high incidence such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes as well as rare genetic conditions, termed mTORopathies, characterized by tumor formation, polycystic kidneys, and brain manifestations.

New mechanistic insights into mTORopathies will improve treatment for people living with rare conditions through strategies of personalized medicine and will open new therapeutic avenues for severe age-related pathologies.

MSCA-DN MENTOR program will involve 18 doctoral candidates with the overall goal of understanding and treating mTORopathies while maximizing the impact towards research and training for cancer, metabolic syndromes, and age-related diseases.

Our network

Recruiting supervisors

Alejo Efeyan

CNIO

Andrea Ballabio

TIGEM

Christos Gkogkas

FORTH-BRI

Claudio de Virgilio

University of Fribourg

Djalila Mekahli

KU Leuven

Dorota Kurek

MIMETAS

Floor Jansen

UMC Utrecht

Jeroen Elassaiss-Schaap

PD-value

Jörn Dengjel

University of Fribourg

Justyna Zmorzyńska

IMol

Kathrin Thedieck

Essen University Hospital

Mario Pende

Université Paris Cité

Matthias Gehringer

University of Tübingen

Matthias Wymann

University of Basel

Stéphanie Baulac

Paris Brain Institute

Associated partners

 

Program overview

Objective 1

Train a new generation of scientists through state-of-the-art research projects in top institutions, inter-disciplinary collaborations, and intensive lectures. 

Objective 2

Discover new gene products and metabolic adaptations involved in nutrient sensing, growth regulation, and mTORopathies.

Objective 3

 Establish cellular and animal models better suited to test genetic epistasis and strategies of therapeutic intervention.

Objective 4

Design and synthesize new chemical probes and drug candidates as well as clinical follow-up.

Objective 5

Establish a collaborative and efficient network of researchers from academia to industry, involving patient associations and clinicians with impact on scientific community and society.

Workpackages

WP1

Discovery of new signalling elements: From genetics to proteo-metabolomics

Work package 1 will provide detailed cartography of new gene products acting in the mTOR pathway, as outlined by the following three complementary tasks:

Objective

Discover and characterize new mechanisms involved in nutrient sensing by mTORC1 which may drive the pathophysiological processes in mTORopathies. As a future outcome, preclinical models of these new genes will be developed following the path defined by Work Package 2, while potential new drug targets will be modeled by Work Package 3. The results will likely also apply to age-related diseases with high incidence

WP2

Preclinical cell and animal models of mTORopathies

Work Package 2 will address why aberrant mTOR activity often impacts both neuronal excitability and the oriented cell division underlying epilepsy and polycystic kidney:

Objective

Discover and characterize new mechanisms involved in nutrient sensing by mTORC1 which may drive the pathophysiological processes in mTORopathies. As a future outcome, preclinical models of these new genes will be developed following the path defined by Work Package 2 while potential new drug targets will be modeled by Work Package 3. The results will likely also apply to age-related diseases with high incidence.

WP3

Drug discovery and clinical translation

Work Package 3 will translate the fundamental understanding of the mTOR pathway into therapeutic strategies for mTORopathy patients by:

Objective

To expand the pharmacological arsenal for precision medicine in mTORopathies. To optimize patient follow-up and biomarker discovery. The development of chemical compounds targeting different upstream and downstream elements of the mTOR pathway will be tested in Work Package 2 system-level pathway modeling will include new gene products from Work Package 3

Positions

FAQ

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (DN) program provides interdisciplinary and international PhD training opportunities, fostering career development for early-stage researchers. Funded by the EU,  it promotes mobility, collaboration, and skills enhancement across academia and industry.

Early-stage researchers of any nationality,  who have not yet been awarded a PhD at the date of recruitment. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Mobility Requirement: Researchers they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date — unless as part of a compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
  • Qualification: Applicants must hold a degree that qualifies them for doctoral studies in the country where they will conduct their research. Candidates must be fluent in English.

We invite highly motivated and exceptional candidates to join a distinguished team of researchers engaged in cutting-edge projects across a range of disciplines from metabolism, cell growth, pathophysiology, drug design, preclinical models and personalized medicine.

If selected, you will have the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary environment, receive comprehensive training, financial support, and benefit from mentorship provided by leading experts in their respective fields.

The selected candidates will be employed on a full-time 3-year contract. The salary follows the Marie Curie-Skłodowska DN funding Scheme. In addition to the base salary, a mobility allowance will be provided. The living allowance will be adjusted based on the country correction coefficient applicable to the host organization’s location. Furthermore, applicants may qualify for a family allowance, depending on their personal circumstances.

Submit your application before March 28, 2025:

CV, application form, at least two recommendation letters, and a scanned copy of your original Master’s degree along with full transcripts.

If the Master’s degree will not be completed by the application deadline (March 28, 2025), applicants must upload their BSc degree/diploma in English, along with a transcript of completed courses from their Master’s program, clearly indicating the expected graduation date.

Contact

Question about MenTOR program?

GET IN TOUCH!

The MENTOR Doctoral Network

Université Paris-Cité (UPCité)
85 Boulevard Saint-Germain,
75006 Paris, France

Follow us on

Coordinator :

Mario Pende

Project manager :

Magdalena Tortyna

Funded by the European Union under the grant agreement No 101168624. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.