People

Sanna Lehtonen, PhD, professor

sanna.h.lehtonen@helsinki.fi

I have carried out my PhD work at the University of Helsinki on genes regulating kidney development. Following this, I worked in Prof. Marilyn Farquhar’s laboratory at the University of California San Diego, USA, concentrating on the role of the podocyte protein nephrin and its macromolecular complex as a regulator of podocyte function. Since 2007, I have been working as a group leader at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki. My main interest is to understand how kidney function is regulated in various disorders.

Rim Bouslama, Pharm.D, doctoral researcher

rim.bouslama@helsinki.fi

I have earned my Pharmacy doctorate from Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Tunisia, on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. I have also worked on the immune property of bovine colostrum at the University of Otago, New Zealand, and the role of megakaryocytes in immunity at Harvard University, USA. My doctoral research focuses on podocyte biology and the mechanisms leading to kidney disease.

Norman Carcaño, MD, MSc, doctoral researcher

norman.carcano@helsinki.fi

I have earned my Medical Doctor degree in the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, followed by Master´s degree in biomedical research from the University of Navarra, Spain. In Navarra, I worked in Prof. Frühbeck´s laboratory defining the role of immunological response in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. Currently, my work focuses on the development of new treatments for type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease. In particular, my work concentrates on proteins and factors affecting insulin sensitivity and energy homeostasis in muscle and proximal tubule cells.

Annika Hau, MSc, Laboratory coordinator

annika.hau@helsinki.fi

I hold a master’s degree in human genetics from the University of Helsinki. I’ve worked on cancer biology and CD95-mediated apoptosis at University of Chicago and Northwestern University, USA, as well as researched the autoimmune disease APECED and stem cell biology at the University of Helsinki. In our lab, I mostly get to utilize my expertise in immunological methods and PCR methodology.

Satu James, MSc, doctoral researcher

satu.james@helsinki.fi

I graduated with my master’s degree in Translational Medicine from the University of Helsinki, with the focus in metabolic disorders. My PhD work focuses on finding novel drug lead candidates for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease from a library of small molecule compounds. The aim is to achieve improvement of insulin sensitivity and renoprotection. My interest is especially in the cellular mechanisms leading to insulin resistance and hyperglycaemia in the skeletal muscle and proximal tubule cells.

Jette-Britt Naams, MSc (Tech), doctoral researcher

jette-britt.naams@helsinki.fi

I have graduated as a Master of Science in Technology from Tampere University of Technology, majoring in Tissue Engineering. My PhD work focuses on novel compounds that could potentially act as blood glucose lowering and renoprotective drug lead candidates. I am interested in the molecular mechanisms by which these compounds affect the glucose metabolism and apoptotic pathways in the muscle and kidney cells, and whether these compounds can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce signs of diabetic kidney disease in vivo.

Constanze Schmotz, PhD, postdoctoral researcher

constanze.schmotz@helsinki.fi

I have graduated from Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg (Halle/Saale, Germany) in biochemistry and have earned my PhD degree at the University of Helsinki in the field of cell biology, focusing on virology, cell signaling, and protein networks. Currently, I study mechanisms involved in the development of type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease. My work focuses on podocyte biology and mechanisms leading to podocyte injury, with a special interest in mechanobiology. In an interdisciplinary collaboration with the Norwegian startup company Vitroscope AS, I explore the effects of fluid flow shear stress on podocytes in vitro. I also study the role of lipid phosphatase SHIP2 in the development of type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease and define the role of SHIP2 in cognitive comorbidities of type 2 diabetes.

Lehtonen Lab 2023

Lehtonen lab 2020

Lehtonen lab 2019

Lehtonen lab 2018

Lehtonen lab 2017

Lehtonen lab 2016

Lehtonen lab 2010

Lehtonen lab 2009