People

Principal investigator

Professor of Translational Medicine, and

Director,

Director,

Director,

Professor,

Researcher

I joined the Mäkinen lab as a postdoctoral researcher in 2015 in Uppsala, and relocated with the lab to Helsinki in early 2025. I have a background in developmental biology and vascular biology, and my research focuses on the role of lymphatic endothelium in organ-specific homeostasis and inflammation. 

PhD student, Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine

I joined the Mäkinen lab in Uppsala in December 2023, and relocated to Helsinki in early 2025 to start my doctoral studies within the iCANDOC program. Before joining the lab, I completed my studies in India, where I worked on cardiovascular regeneration and collateral artery formation in neonatal mice in Bangalore. Additionally, I joined briefly the European Center for Angioscience in Mannheim to study the role of endothelial cell-cardiomyocyte cross talk during heart development. Currently I am particularly interested in the study of lymphatic vasculature in a pathophysiological context. 

Postdostoral researcher, EMBO fellow

I completed my PhD in Ralf Adams’ research group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Germany. My PhD work focused on investigating the molecular and functional heterogeneity in bone endothelial cells. In September 2024 I joined Mäkinen lab as a postdoc, and now I focus on the characterization of lymphatic capillary endothelial cells. Outside of the confocal room, I enjoy photography and traveling.

Researcher / Bioinformatician (WRI)

I got my Ph.D. in Pathology and M.Sc. in Human Genetics from the University of Helsinki. After my Ph.D., I worked as a postdoc and later as an affiliated researcher in Professor Patrik Ernfors’ group at Karolinska Institutet. My research focused on neural crest biology, brain mesenchymal cells, and neuro-oncology. Currently, I am working on cutting-edge technologies in single-cell and spatial MultiOmics. I construct sequencing libraries and develop deep-learning-based bioinformatics methods for analysis. When I’m not working, I love running and trying out new recipes in the kitchen! 

Researcher

I joined Taija as a senior researcher in Uppsala a few years back having a prior background as a PI at the Ludwig Institute for cancer research working on growth factor receptors. My expertise lies mainly in the in vitro and molecular direction. I relocated to Helsinki with the group in 2025.

PhD student, Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine

I joined the Mäkinen lab as a PhD student in 2023 in Uppsala. In 2026, I relocated with the lab to the University of Helsinki and Wihuri Research Institute. Prior to starting my PhD, I worked in Lena Claesson-Welsh’s lab, focusing on studying the role of an endothelial-specific phosphatase VE-PTP in regulation of endothelial biology as part of my master´s thesis. My current research focuses on understanding the organ-specific origins, regulation, and functions of lymphatic vessels during development and disease, with a particular emphasis on the lymphatic vasculature of the mesentery.

Postdoc (WRI)

I joined the Mäkinen group as a postdoctoral researcher in 2025. My background is in developmental genetics at the University of Helsinki and I previously worked on thrombotic and inflammatory kidney injury mechanisms with the use of mouse models, kidney organoids, and leukocytic cell models. Currently I am working on the regulation of lymphatic vasculature in the lymph node.

Postdoc

I recently joined the Makinen lab as a postdoctoral researcher to study vascular malformations and lymphatic endothelial cell-mediated immune regulation. My current work sits at the intersection of vascular biology and tumor immunology. I hold an M.Sc in Cancer Research from the University of Galway, Ireland, and a PhD in Biomedicine from the University of Helsinki, Finland.  My doctoral work centered on the development of targeted therapies for brain tumors, using phage display technology and preclinical models. 

PhD student

I joined the Mäkinen lab in May 2026 as a PhD student within the IMMENs programme. Before joining the lab, I completed my MSc in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in Cell Biology and Advanced Microscopy. During my studies, I worked on chromosome dynamics at the University of Helsinki and zebrafish live imaging to study heart and brain development at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. My current research focuses on the interactions between the lymphatic vasculature and the immune system.