Meet the researchers working in the Balisteri Lab and take a look at our Lab life.
Giuseppe is the one who pays the bills and protects the lab members from stress :D
Adjunct Professor in Molecular Virology | Academy of Finland Research Fellow
phone: +358 (0) 50 3149167 | e-mail: giuseppe.balistreri@helsinki.fi
Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences | Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science HELSUS
P.O.Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3, zip 00290), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
Haartman's Institute, room E353
Ravi joined us from Nepal in March 2018. His master thesis and research focuses on the regulation of cellular stress responses and protein synthesis in cells infected by different RNA viruses. Using genetically engineered viruses, small-molecule inhibitors and advanced imaging techniques, Ravi is dissecting the molecular events by which viruses take control of the cellular protein synthesis machinery. His goal is to develop new strategies to interfere with this process and block virus infection.
phone: +358 (0) 50 3149167 | e-mail: ravi.oiha@helsinki.fi
Faculty of Medicine | Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science HELSUS
P.O.Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3, zip 00290), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
Haartman's Institute, room E373
Angelina has joined the lab in 2022 after finishing PhD in Neuroscience. She studies neurotropic viruses, with a particular focus on the mechanisms of the viral entry into the brain cells.
E-mail: angelina.lesnikova@helsinki.fi
Department of Virology | Faculty of Medicine
PO Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3), University of Helsinki
Haartman's Institute, room E373
co-supervised with Dr. Merja Joensuu, University of Queensland, Australia
Saber focuses on the role of lipid-modifying enzymes in SARS-CoV-2 virus replication, assembly, and release. Using a combination of advanced imaging techniques, gene-editing, biochemistry, and cell biology approaches, he wants to understand how cellular membrane trafficking and virus assembly are regulated by specific classes of phospholipases.
E-mail:
Department of Virology | Faculty of Medicine
PO Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3), University of Helsinki
Haartman's Institute, room E373
Tuukka keeps our lab in check. He takes care of our orders, reagents stocks and research materials, maintenance of basic instrumentations, and helps all of us performing our experiments in the most efficient way. We are lucky to have him! :)
phone: +358 (0)504151143 | e-mail: tuukka.erikkila@helsinki.fi
Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences | Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science HELSUS
Viikinkaari 9, zip 00790, Helsinki, Finland
Biocenter-1 C, room 2403
Interested in playing with cells, viruses and the most powerful microscopes in the world? Come visit us! :)
Katri joined us in September 2019, bringing cloning power and expertise in virus-induced membrane rearrangements, autophagy and state-of-the-art 3D electron microscopy. She is currently involved in all projects of the lab, particularly on virus replication and membrane structures, and she is the creator of our lab mascot ‘Buggy’ the infectious dude. We are lucky to have her!
phone: +358 (0) 50 5560 847| e-mail: katri.a.kallio@helsinki.fi
Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences | Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Program
P.O.Box 65 (Viikinkaari 9, zip 00790), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
Majharul 'Magic' joined us as a research assistant in December 2018. His task is to develop new image-based, high-throughput assays to monitor protein synthesis in millions of cells at single-cell level. His optimised methods do not require the use of radioactivity, and allow measuring the global state of cellular protein synthesis in different cell lines as well as in primary neurons and acute brain slices. His favourite techniques are high-content imaging and automated image-analysis combined with biochemical approaches.
Emilia started as a master student in our group in 2017 and, after graduating in 2018, help me to build our new lab from scratch. During her thesis work, Emilia used high-content fluorescence imaging and automated image analysis methods, CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis and biochemical approaches to study how blocking a cellular ion transporter inhibits the infection of Respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, the leading cause of viral infant death in the world. Emma's work also focused on the development of novel in vitro translation systems and on the regulation of protein synthesis in virus infected cells.
e-mail: emilia.korhonen@helsinki.fi