Karita received her Master's degree in biology/microbiology from the University of Helsinki Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and her doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine. She continued her research as a post doctoral fellow at University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands. She is currently working as a visiting Scientist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, US and as a Senior fellow at the Tampere Institute for Advanced Study, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland. Her aim is to unravel the complex interplay between Amyloid β, microbes, human cells and the complement system and thereby uncover how these interactions tip the humoral balance from non-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory direction with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease, neuroborreliosis, macular degeneration and related degenerative diseases.
Her work is supported by the Research Council of Finland, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation and Sigrid Jusélius Foundation. Previous support from The Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Finnish Brain Foundation, The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters and Åke, Sara och Christer Lönnqvist's fund from the association Föreningen Granatenhjelm rf. has been instrumental in advancing her research.
Pavel completed his PhD in physiology at the University of Helsinki in 2010. His thesis was dedicated to mechanisms of the transcriptional regulation of the neuronal K-Cl cotransporter KCC2, which is critical for GABAergic inhibition in the central nervous system. Pavel uses a broad spectrum of molecular biology and biochemical methods, imaging techniques as well as various cell culture and in vivo mouse approaches. His current interest is in the role of the complement system in the development of Alzheimer’s disease
Shahan received his PhD at the University of Helsinki in 2024. In his PhD (supervised by PhD Haapasalo and Prof Seppo Meri) he showed that pneumococcal toxins can trigger vascular damage, modify HDL particles and antibodies against pneumococcal toxin associates with reduced inflammation in atherosclerosis patients. He is especially interested to study Streptococcal virulence. The pathogen that fascinates him most is Streptococcus pneumoniae. He aims to contribute to a better understanding of the virulence and immune evasion by Streptococci.
Päivi Ylä-Anttila received her PhD at the University of Helsinki in 2015. She have been working as a post doc at the Karolinska Institutet, Stocholm, Sweden and at the University of Turku, Finland. She started as a post doc in Inflammation and Infections group from the beginning of 2025.
Lilith received her Master's degree in microbiology from the University of Helsinki in 2023. In her Master's thesis (supervised By PhD Haapasalo and PhD Uvarov) she studied the antimicrobial effects of beta-Amyloid and received a stipend for scientifically high-quality Master's thesis approved at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. In 2024 she was selected into the doctoral education pilot at the University of Helsinki.
Meri Heinonen, MSc student, University of Helsinki
Saana Leikkola, MSc student, University of Helsinki
Zinia Haidar, MSc student, University of Helsinki
Olli Heikkinen, MSc student, University of Helsinki
Eeva Juselius, MSc student, University of Helsinki