Laboratory Manager

Tiina Arsiola

Laboratory Manager

Westermarck Lab, office 4123

+358 (0)29 450 3788

tiina.arsiola [at] bioscience.fi

Background

• Laboratory Manager, Turku Centre for Biotechnology, since 2012
• University Research Fellow, Animal Bioscience, University of Eastern Finland,  2010-2011
• Certificated Degree in Pedagogy, Jyväskylä University of Applied Science, Finland, 2010
• Research Associate, Animal Biotechnology, University of Eastern Finland, 2000-2010
• Post Doctoral Fellow, Prostate cance​r research, University of Kuopio, Finland, 2004-2007
• Post Doctoral Fellow, Prostate cancer research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 2001-2003
• PhD, Animal Biotechnology, University of Kuopio, Finland, 2001

Postdoctoral Researchers

Anna Aakula

Postdoctoral Researcher

Westermarck Lab, office 4123

+358 (0)29 450 3788

anna.aakula [at] bioscience.fi

Background

• PhD in Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki. Conducted in the research group of Prof. Olli Kallioniemi, at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki.
• MSc in Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Åbo Akademi University.

Project

Dephosphorylational regulation of the epigenetic machinery in progression and treatment resistance of NSCLC.

Oxana Denisova

Postdoctoral Reseacher

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

oxana.denisova [at] utu.fi

Background

• Ph.D. in Medicine (Molecular Virology) in 2014 at Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Finland.
• M.Sc. in Biology (Molecular Biology) in 2007, at Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
• Training at the Molecular Biology Education centre (2005 –2007), Institute of Protein Research, Pushchino, Russia.

Project

PP2A in glioblastoma therapy resistance: novel opportunities for targeted therapeutics​

Nikhil Gupta

Postdoctoral Researcher

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

nikhil.gupta [at] utu.fi

Background

• Ph.D. in Biological Science (2020), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Master in Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), India

Project

Cancer therapy implications of species specific difference in requirement of PP2A mediated tumor suppression

Riikka Huhtaniemi

Postdoctoral Researcher

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

marihu [at] utu.fi

Majid Momeny

Postdoctoral Researcher

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

majid.momeny [at] utu.fi

Background

• PhD in Molecular Pathology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
• MSc of Medical Genetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
• Bachelor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Project

Investigation of the role of phosphatases in resistance to HER2-targeted therapies in breast cancer

Julia Vainonen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

julvai [at] utu.fi

Background

• Post-doctoral researcher, University of Helsinki
• Post-doctoral fellow, University of Turku
• Post-doctoral fellow Linköping University
• Ph.D. Chemistry, Moscow State University
• M.Sc. Chemistry, Moscow State University

Project

Predictive phosphoproteomic markers for triple negative breast cancer drug responses

Doctoral Candidates

Umar Butt

Doctoral Candidate

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

umar.butt [at] bioscience.fi

Background:

• B.S. Bioinformatics-COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan
• M.S. Biomedical Imaging-Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Project:

Characterization of Oncogenic and metastatic properties of SHARPIN

Eleonora Mäkelä

Doctoral Candidate

Westermarck Lab

+358 (0)29 450 3790

eleonora.makela [at] bioscience.fi

Background

• Master of Science (M.Sc.), University of Turku, Turku, Finland
• Major in Biochemistry, minors in Chemistry and Biology

Project

Novel diagnostic markers in acute myeloid leukemia

Joni Merisaari

Doctoral Candidate

Westermarck Lab, 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

joni.merisaari [at] bioscience.fi

Background

• Master of Science (M.Sc.), University of Turku, Turku, Finland
• Major in Biomedicine, minors in chemistry and biochemistry

Project

Pharmacological activation of a tumor suppressor PP2A: a novel therapy for glioblastoma

Srikar Nagelli

Doctoral Candidate

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

Srikar.nagelli [at] bioscience.fi

Background

• M.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences - Northeastern University, Boston, USA
• Specialization in Drug Delivery and Pharmaceutics
• Associate Scientist - High Throughput Screening - Oncology, Horizon Discovery Inc., Boston, USA

Project

To understand the role of CIP2A in Basal-like breast cancer initiation and tumorigenesis

Mukund Sharma

Doctoral Candidate

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

mukund.sharma [at] bioscience.fi

Background

• MSc in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany

Project

Epigenetic regulation by PP2A and RAS synergy and its implication in cancer

Technical Personnel

Taina Kalevo-Mattila

Laboratory Technician

Westermarck Lab, lab 5080

+358 (0)29 450 3758

taina.kalevo-mattila [at] bioscience.fi

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Undergraduate Students

Aleksi Lehtinen

Undergraduate Student

Westermarck Lab, office 4120

+358 (0)29 450 3790

alanleh [at] utu.fi

Suvi Rajaniemi

Undergraduate Student

Westermarck Lab

suvi.a.rajaniemi [at] utu.fi

Alumni

• Song-Ping Li, Ph.D student (1998 – Dec 2003)
  • Current position: Post Doc at  Department of  Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

• Melissa R. Junttila, Ph.D. student (Aug 2001 – Mar 2006)
  • Current position: Senior Scientist in Translational Oncology at Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA

• Tim Holmström, Post doc ( Jan 2004 – Apr 2006 )
  • Current position: Principal Research Scientist, in-vitro biology, Research and Development, Orion Ltd. Turku, Finland

• Pietri Puustinen, Post doc (Sep 2004 – Dec 2007) 
  • Current position: Post doc, Cell Death and Metabolism (CDM), Center for Autophagy, Recycling and Disease (CARD), Danish Cancer Society Research Center (DCRC), Copenhagen, Denmark

• Antoine Mialon, Ph.D. Student (Apr 2003 – Jan 2009)
  • Current position: Application Team Leader, MetGen Ltd. Kaarina, Finland 

• Sari Vanhatupa, Post doc (Nov 2007 – Jun 2009)
  • Current position: Nordic Medical Advisor, Jannsen-Cilag Ltd., Johnson & Johnson, Finland

• Christophe Côme, Post doc (Apr 2006 – Dec 2010)
  • Current position: Guest Researcher, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

• Sami Ventelä, Post doc (Dec 2007 – Dec 2010)
  • Current position: Otolaryngologist, Turku University Hospital and Mehiläinen-NEO Hospital, Turku, Finland

• Anchit Khanna, Ph.D. student (Jun 2007 – Dec 2011)
  • Current position: Medical Liaison Specialist, Pfizer Oncology, Sydney, Australia

• Minna Niemelä, Ph.D. student (Jun 2005 – Sep 2012)
  • Current position: Research Coordinator, Finnish Functional Genomics Centre, Turku Centre for Biotechnology, Turku, Finland

• Yuba Raj Pokharel, Post doc (Nov 2009 – Oct 2012)
  • Current position: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology, South Asian University, Akbar Bhawan, New Delhi, India

• Juha Okkeri, Post doc (Feb 2007 – Aug 2014)
  • Current position: Subject Teacher, Alesksis Kivi Comprehensive School, Siuntio, Finland

• Anni Laine, Ph.D. Student (Aug 2006 – Jun 2013), Post doc (Jul 2013 – Mar 2016)
  • Current position: Post doc, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Division of Immunology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

• Otto Kauko, Ph.D. student (Sep 2009 – Jan 2017)
  • Current position: Associate post-doctoral fellow, Juusi Taipale Group, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

• Amanpreet Kaur, Ph.D. Student (Nov. 2009 – Aug 2016) Post doc (Aug 2016 – Mar 2017)
  • Current position: Postdoctoral research fellow, Cancer & Stem Cell Biology Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.

• Laxman Yetukuri, Post doc (Jan 2016 – Aug 2018)
  • Current position: Senior Applications Specialist, CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd., Helsinki, Finland