Principal Investigator, Academy Professor
Eero received MD and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Eastern Finland. He was a postdoc at the National Institute of Mental Health (Bethesda, MD, USA; Juan Saavedra’s lab) and at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (Munich, Germany; Hans Thoenen’s lab). He started the Trophins lab at the A.I. Virtanen Institute at the University of Eastern Finland in 1995. In 2003, he joined the Neuroscience Center, at the University of Helsinki as Sigrid Jusélius professor and subsequently as the Director between 2013 and 2017, and currently as Academy Professor. His research has focused on the effects of BDNF in neuronal plasticity and on the role of BDNF-TrkB signaling in the antidepressant drug effects.
Senior Researcher, Docent
Current projects
I obtained my Master’s (2010) and Doctoral (2015) degrees from the University of Rouen, France. My doctoral research focused on GPCRs expression in healthy and pathological astrocytes. I used antagonists and biased ligands for those GPCRs to induce microenvironmental remodeling of brain tumors in preclinical models. In my first post-doctoral project (CAN-PRO, University of Helsinki) I engineered models and therapeutic tools to overcome the blood-brain-barrier and increase intra-tumoral delivery of therapies to brain tumors. I then conducted high-throughput drug screening to repurpose FDA-approved therapies targeting cancer cell lysosomes. During my Academy of Finland fellowship (2019-2022), I dissected the transcriptomic and mechanistic signature of invasive brain tumor cells and identified key pathways common to cancer progression and neurodevelopment. I obtained the title of docent in cancer biology and joined the Trophins Lab in 2023 where I coordinate two projects. First, a project aiming at screening and characterizing new allosteric modulators of TrkB as therapeutic tools to tackle depressive disorders. Then, a project shedding light on the similarities between neurodevelopment and glioblastoma progression with a specific focus on neuronal and gliomal plasticity.
Senior Researcher
Current projects
I completed my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in biology and neuroscience in Italy at the University of Padua and the University of Trieste. I obtained my Ph.D. in 2018 from the University of Helsinki. During my doctoral studies, I investigated the molecular mechanisms of tau protein-mediated pathology in order to better understand the development and progression of different neurodegenerative diseases. I joined the Trophin Lab in 2019 to investigate the effect of different lipids and hormones on TrkB activation and their role in promoting neural plasticity. In parallel, I am interested in understanding the role of the BDNF/TrkB axis in the etiology of neurodegenerative disorders, in particular in Huntington's disease.
Senior Researcher
Current projects
I obtained my B.Sc. in Biology and my M.Sc. in Neuroscience at the University of Trieste (Italy). During the Master I was awarded an Erasmus+ Scholarship to study at the University of Helsinki (Finland) for one semester, followed by an Erasmus Traineeship to work on my thesis in the Trophins laboratory of Prof. Eero Castrén. During my traineeship, I focused on studying the induction of plasticity in the visual cortex of mice by antidepressants and was captivated by the topic. I am currently working in the Trophins lab to obtain my Ph.D., broadening my research on visual cortex plasticity induced by pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. I am also interested in understanding the role of a cholesterol-recognition motif identified in the transmembrane region of TRKB in drug-induced plasticity by using in vitro and in vivo methods, such as molecular biology and confocal imaging techniques, behavioral analyses, and optical imaging.
Senior Researcher
Current projects
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Parma with an internship project in cancer biology. In 2017 I obtained an international Master’s degree in Neuroscience at the University of Trieste. I spent the last year of my Master’s studies completing an internship here at the Trophin lab under Prof. Castrén’s and Dr. Umemori’s supervision, working on the assessment of an optogenetic system to control neural plasticity. After graduating, I came back a few months later to start my Ph.D. Although my academic interests wander from Autism to consciousness, at the moment my research activity focuses on using optogenetic plasticity to study the role of somatostatin inhibitory neurons in the control of neural network plasticity.
Senior Researcher
Current projects
I graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Montpellier, France, followed by a master’s degree in biology-Neuroscience from the same university, where I investigated the interactions between the nervous and immune systems. I obtained my PhD in 2023 from the University of Helsinki, where I characterized the role of meningeal lymphatic vessels in physiological and pathological conditions. During my PhD, I developed my expertise in brain imaging, particularly 2-photon microscopy and functional ultrasound. Following the completion of my PhD, I joined the Trophin Lab, driven by my interest in brain functional connectivity and network plasticity. Here, I am dedicated to contributing to our understanding of juvenile-like plasticity reinstatement and brain network dynamics.
Doctoral Researcher
Current projects
My background is in psychology, having acquired my Bachelor in social science at Tel-Aviv University, and subsequently completed a Master's degree in Pisa University, specializing in educational psychology of learning disabilities. My fascination with the brain led me to pursue a career in brain research, starting in the Pablo Blinder lab at Tel-Aviv University, where I have acquired my specialization in awake in vivo imaging and behavioral experiments in combination with multi-photon microscopy.
Doctoral Researcher
Current projects
I completed my bachelor's degree in Molecular Biosciences at the University of Helsinki, followed by a Master’s in Translational Medicine in 2024. I joined the Trophin Lab in 2023 for my master’s thesis, where I investigated endogenous allosteric modulators of TrkB receptor. After completing my thesis, I continued as a research assistant, studying molecular interactions of TrkB. I was then awarded a position at the Doctoral Programme In Biomedicine (DPBM) to lead a doctoral project focusing on exploring whether strategies aimed at modulating neuroplasticity could be leveraged for the treatment of brain tumors.
Doctoral Researcher, Medical Doctor
Current projects
I started medical studies in 2017 at the University of Helsinki and I am now in the clinical phase of my studies. I joined the Trophin laboratory in 2018 and have been involved in several projects, which are all related to the transcriptional changes of neurons after pharmacological or optogenetic activation of TrkB. These results will help to understand how we could utilize existing psychiatric drugs better and find new targets for more specific treatment options.
Doctoral Researcher
Current projects
I obtained my Biological Sciences BSc at the University of Leicester (UK), where I completed my final-year project in the Phage Lab, investigating the interaction between bacteriophages and bacterial vesicles. During my Neuroscience MSc at the University of Helsinki (Finland), I underwent practical training in the Medical Nutrition Physiology group, studying the effects of SCFAs on the gut-brain axis. I completed my Master’s thesis work here in the Trophins Lab, investigating the effect of environmental enrichment on molecular and behavioural neuroplasticity and I have continued this research as part of my PhD work. I am also involved with projects studying the effect of psychedelics on neuroplasticity. I am passionate about science communication and I have been actively involved with The Science Basement, a SciComm non-profit where we help researchers develop their SciComm skills. Outside of the lab, I try to maximise time spent outdoors in nature and other enriching environments, and you can often find me in the forest with a camera in hand, cycling by the sea, or in the midst of a new creative project.
Visiting Doctoral Researcher
Current projects:
I obtained my Bachelor´s degree in Pharmacy at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). As an undergrad student, I obtained Basque Government’s Ikasiker grant for young researchers. Thanks to Ikasiker, I started working in what later would become my PhD project, the evaluation of the hallucinogenic and antidepressant mechanisms of action of psilocybin, at Neuropsychopharmacology research group. As part of my PhD, I am currently doing a research stay at University of Helsinki.
Doctoral Researcher
Current projects
I studied Biochemistry at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) and graduated in Neuroscience at the University of Helsinki. I also developed research projects at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam (Netherlands), the University of Oulu (Finland), and the Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology in Marseille (France). My main scientific passion lies in exploring novel neuropharmacological strategies to treat psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly those that involve neuronal plasticity and neurotrophic factors like BDNF and its receptor TrkB. With that purpose, I have focused my research on unveiling the mechanisms of action of drugs that trigger juvenile-like plasticity in the adult brain, like the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine and the rapid-acting antidepressant ketamine. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind the long-term effects of psychedelics.
Doctoral Researcher
Current projects
I obtained my BSc in Genetics at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and an MSc in Clinical Analysis at the Pompeu Fabra University. After my studies in Spain, I discovered neuroscience to be my passion and embarked to Helsinki, to study an MSc in Neuroscience. I completed my master's thesis work in the Trophins Lab, studying the differential effects of psychedelics and classical antidepressants on TrkB dimerization and neurotrophic signaling. Then, I continued the same line of research to start with my PhD studies, focusing on neuropharmacological research. I am very eager to decipher the molecular mysteries of brain plasticity. I am interested in researching alternative treatments for treating mood disorders.
Doctoral Researcher
Current projects
I obtained my master’s degree in Basic and Applied Neuroscience (2022) from University of Valencia, after which I came back to Finland and joined the Trophin’s lab in August 2022. I started my PhD here in 2023, focusing on the effects of Psychedelics on resilience and vulnerability to stress through their interaction with BDNF receptor TrkB, in both animal models and in-vitro primary neuronal cell cultures.
I am passionate about understanding how the interaction between our nervous system and other systems in our body and external input affect our overall health and performance. I am also involved in organizations such as The Science Basement, where I am part of the Science Slam organizing team.
Doctoral Researcher
I obtained my bachelor’s degree in pharmacology from the University of Dundee in 2022, where my thesis focused on biased opioid agonists under the mentorship of Professor Hales. Following this, I relocated to Switzerland to pursue a master's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zurich. During my studies I engaged in a semester project on electrophysiological modulation of GABA-A receptors and completed an internship at EraCal Therapeutics, a startup developing appetite suppressants for obesity. For my master’s thesis, I investigated GPCR-mediated calcium channel modulation for pain relief under the guidance of Dr. Lauri Louhivuori at Orion Pharma.
I was drawn to the Castrén lab due to its pioneering research on psychedelics as a potential treatment for depression. Currently, my PhD project focuses on exploring TrkB isoforms activated by psychedelics and investigating the oncogenic potential of these compounds.
M.Sc., Research Assistant
Current projects
I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Biology and began my Master’s in Neuroscience at the University of Helsinki in 2022. In 2023, I joined the Castrén group, where my master’s thesis project focuses on using functional ultrasound imaging to study plasticity in the visual cortex of mice. Currently, I work as a research assistant while finishing my thesis. In my free time, I enjoy doing sports, playing the violin and watching birds.
Master's Student
Current project
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Pisa (2023), where my thesis focused on the role of the serotonergic system in depressive disorders. During my bachelor, I completed an internship at the General Physiology Laboratory in Pisa, where I was trained on conducting quantitative analyses of proteins within the retina across various pathological mouse models.
Currently, I am pursuing an international Master’s degree in Neuroscience at the University of Trieste, where I have discovered my great interest in TrkB allosteric modulators and their promising avenues for neuropathologies. As part of my studies, I am now completing an internship at the University of Helsinki, renowned for its significant research on psychedelics as a potential treatment for depression.
My current research investigates how cellular cholesterol enrichment/deprivation affect the conformation of membrane proteins and consequence on neurotrophic pathways regulation.
Master's Student
Current project:
In 2022, I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Clinical Neuroscience at Virginia Tech. In 2024, I started my Masters of Neuroscience at the University of Helsinki and joined the Trophins lab as a research assistant. I am currently continuing my work in the lab for my master's thesis because of my passion for the project. After completing my masters degree, I plan to pursue a PhD in neuroimmunology, focusing on the role of inflammation in psychiatric disorders and the underlying biological mechanisms. I am eager to improve therapeutic strategies for conditions including anxiety, depression, and PTSD through a career in academic research.
Master Student
Current projects
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in biomedicine at the University of Turku in 2023 and continued my studies in Turku in the Drug Discovery & Development Master’s program. However, I relocated to Helsinki to work in the Trophin Lab, first as a research assistant and currently as a Master’s thesis worker due to my interest in neuroscience and more specifically, the plasticity of the brain.
Master's Student
Current project
I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Ferrara (2023), where I completed an internship in a molecular biology lab and conducted my thesis on molecular mechanisms underlying aortic aneurysm formation in patients with Marfan syndrome. Currently, I am pursuing an international Master's degree in Neuroscience at the University of Trieste. As part of my studies, I am now conducting my internship at the University of Helsinki.
Master's Student
Current project:
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology (2019–2022) from the University of Bologna. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted a research internship at the University of Crete (IMBB-FORTH), where I investigated the impact of short-term rapamycin administration on dendritic spine density and recognition memory in adolescent mice. This work involved behavioral testing and histological analysis using Golgi-Cox staining and microscopy. Since 2023, I have been pursuing a Research Master’s in Drug Development and Neurohealth at Maastricht University. This program provides interdisciplinary training across pharmacology, neurobiology, and personalized medicine, with a strong emphasis on preclinical models, molecular techniques, and drug development for brain disorders. In parallel, I participate in the PREMIUM Excellence Programme, where I work on a science communication project addressing the recreational use of phenethylamines. Additionally, I am following extracurricular courses within the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance program.
I joined the Trophins Lab at HiLIFE in 2024, where I contribute to the screening and characterization of neuroplastogens acting on the TrkB receptor. My current research focuses on identifying novel compounds with potential antidepressant activity mainly through binding affinity studies. Alongside my scientific pursuits, I have experience in creative media and independent videomaking.
Lab manager, Lab Technician
Current projects
Sulo got his Bachelor's in laboratory sciences at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. On the way to graduation, he did his internship in the Trophins lab and has decided to stick around ever since. His common functions include instructing new (and old) students in good laboratory practices and safety, performing several upkeep tasks in the lab, and (almost) single-handedly genotyping all the mice that are to be used in breeding and experiments. He is usually there to help when technical issues arise, be it a broken electrophoresis chamber, mistreated pipette, malfunctioning coffee machine, or a computer gone haywire.
Lab Technician
Current projects
I graduated as a laboratory technician in 1984 and have since worked in various laboratories. My work became more interesting when I came to the Institute of Biotechnology at the University with Heikki Rauvala's group in 1994. I automatically joined the Neuroscience Research Center in 2003 with Heikki Rauvala's group. During this time, I got to work with numerous different researchers, helping with dissertations. My work was mainly protein chemistry, cell culture and antibody purification, orders, and ancillary laboratory work. I currently work with two different groups and manage NC’s Primary Cell Culture unit. I am also responsible for many general things at NT so if you need anything then get in touch.
Senior Researcher
Worked on:
I obtained a Ph.D. (genetics) at the National Institute of Genetics (Japan) by studying behavioral genetics focusing on spontaneous locomotor activity. In the 1st postdoc in the same institute, I was studying genetics and epigenetics on mouse models of neurological disease. Then I was working at Fujita Health University (Japan) as a research associate, studying mouse models of psychiatric disease. Currently, I’m interested in the network and gene expression level of neural plasticity, and mainly use the optoTrkB system, which can optically induce neural plasticity in a temporal and spatial manner.
Senior Researchers
Caroline Biojone, Ph.D., University of São Paulo, Brazil
Plinio Casarotto, Ph.D. (Pharmacology), University of São Paulo, Brazil
Doctoral Researchers
Madhusmita Priyadarshini, Ph.D. (Faculty of Medicine), University of Helsinki, Finland
Angelina Lesnikova, Master’s degree, St. Petersburg State University, Russia
Merve Senem Fred Ph.D., University of Helsinki, Finland
Undergraduate Students
Federico Ruoso, Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from the University of Trieste
Matteo Martinetti, Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from the University of Trieste. Italy
Julio Eduardo Caceres Pajuelo, Master's degree in physical therapy and neuroscience, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
Aron Varga Bendegúz, bachelor's degree from the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Hungary
Meinte Koster, Bachelor's degree from the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands
Neetika Rastogi, bachelor's degree in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Antonia Lilija, Neuropsychology research master’s program, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Nina Seiffert, Bachelor's Degree in Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück, Germany
Mikko Voipio, Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at the University of Oulu, Finland
Elsa Meshi, Biomedical Sciences at the Hellenic University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Anna Rubiolo, bachelor's degree in Biological sciences from the University of Turin, Italy