Guest Lectures by Prof. Sourav Bhattacharjee
Dr. Sourav Bhattacharjee joined the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata (India) in 1997 and graduated with an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) in 2004. After a brief period of Resident training in Orthopedic Surgery, he joined the MSc in Biomolecular Sciences/Cell Biology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2006). In the meanwhile, he moved to Edinburgh (UK), where he worked for almost 14 months under the supervision of Prof. Vicki Stone at Napier University. Upon finishing his MSc, he began his PhD at the Wageningen University (Netherlands) in 2008. He successfully defended in 2012 with a very good thesis grade and several research papers. Following that, he worked for a year as a postdoc at the University of Twente (Netherlands). In March 2014 he joined Prof. David Brayden's group at UCD as a postdoc working on the EU FP7-funded TRANS-INT consortium trying to develop nanoparticulate drug delivery platforms for oral insulin delivery. From February 2016 Sourav joined the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine as an Assistant Professor in Veterinary Anatomy while also trying to develop his niche of research encompassing a broad range of nanobiotechnology and advanced microscopy tools for effective diagnostic and drug delivery platforms.
Join us for Prof. Sourav Bhattacharjee's lectures:
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Zoomedicum, Kreutzwaldi 62, Room B132, Tartu or online
Centre of Alexander Schmidt, Ravila 19, Room 0088, Tartu or online |
One Health webinar: Vaccinations for One Health
The event will take place on Thursday 30th November at 13–16 GMT / 14–17 CET / 15–18 EET.
The webinar sets out to explore the connection between the One Health approach and the vaccination world. With a multisectoral and multidisciplinary perspective, speakers will delve into different topics – such as vaccination hesitancy and inclusiveness, virology and vaccine development, human and animal vaccines, public health, science communication, and many others.
The webinar targets a broad range of professionals, academics and students and will be broadcast in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Please join and spread the word! Join the webinar organized jointly by Una Europa One Health and MSD.
Register here: https://www.una-europa.eu/calendar/one-health-webinar-vaccinations-for-one-health |
Data Management Workshops!
Taking the bull by the horns – tame the risks with efficient data management!
Join us for two research data management workshops hosted by the OH Boost Project and Data Support experts from the University of Helsinki & EMU!
Join us for two research data management workshops hosted by the OH Boost Project and Data Support experts from the University of Helsinki & EMU!
These workshops are designed to help EMU researchers and RDM experts better manage data risks. You can choose to attend both workshops or just one. After registering, you will receive some tasks related to the workshops.
While we encourage on-site participation, you can also join us online. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take control of your data management!
While we encourage on-site participation, you can also join us online. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take control of your data management!
Speakers:
- Iina Hepolehto works as an information specialist in the research data management team at the Helsinki University Library. Iina is specialized to support data management of sensitive research data.
- Mari Elisa Kuusniemi (aka Mek) works in the research data management team at Helsinki University Library. She has developed services, guidance, and training about research data management since 2009. She works in organizational (long-term preservation), national (training for data stewards), and international projects (EOSC data quality).
- Niina Nurmi works as an information specialist in the research data management team at the Helsinki University Library. She has a background in animal behavior research. Currently, she is working on a development project focusing on the long-term preservation and curation of research data.
- Mikko Mäkelä works as an information specialist in the research data management team at the Helsinki University Library. Currently Mikko’s tasks involve data curation and developing organizational data services. His academic background lies in ecology and evolutionary biology.
The exact room number or Zoom link will be sent to participants after registration.
Register by the 21st November: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/126035/lomake.html
The workshops are part of the Best Practice Transfer from the University of Helsinki in the OH-Boost Project.
Register by the 21st November: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/126035/lomake.html
The workshops are part of the Best Practice Transfer from the University of Helsinki in the OH-Boost Project.
First workshop
When: 29th November 2023, at 9:30-12:00 o’clock Where: Kreutzwaldi 62, Zoomedicum, Tartu (hybrid) Main topics: Why research data management is important? Data ownership and user rights: why and how should you agree about these? Documentation of research data Second workshop
When: 15th January 2024, at 9:30-12:00 o’clock Where: Kreutzwaldi 62, Zoomedicum, Tartu (hybrid) Main topics: Choosing the best strategy for sharing research data Preparing data for preservation after the research project |
The Online Guest Lecture by Dr. Andres Gambin, Dr. Claudia Klein,
Dr. Daniel Angel-Velez and Johanna Piibor
We are happy to invite you to attend lectures on bovine and equine reproduction!
The lectures will be on Zoom Platform, on 17th of November 2023 at 14:00-16:00 (EET) through this link.
The lectures will be on Zoom Platform, on 17th of November 2023 at 14:00-16:00 (EET) through this link.
Lectures will be given by:
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The Online Guest Lecture by Prof. Heli Simojoki, University of Helsinki, Finland
We are excited to invite you to the upcoming seminar titled "Research and Management at Veterinary Teaching Hospital", delivered by Heli Simojoki from the University of Helsinki.
The seminar take place at Zoomedicum, Kreutzwaldi 62, Tartu as well as on Zoom Platform, on the 17th of November 2023, at 10:00 AM (EET).
Registration through this link is required and open till the 13th of November!
The seminar take place at Zoomedicum, Kreutzwaldi 62, Tartu as well as on Zoom Platform, on the 17th of November 2023, at 10:00 AM (EET).
Registration through this link is required and open till the 13th of November!
Agenda Highlights:
Seminar is the part of The Best Practice Transfer from the University of Helsinki, in the OH-Boost Project. |
The Online Guest Lecture by Prof. Chamindie Punyadeera, Griffith University
Join us for Prof. Chamindie Punyadeera lecture “The applications of liquid biopsy to cancer and salivary diagnostics.“
The lecture will be on Zoom Platform, on the 24th of November 2023, at 08:30 AM (EET) /03:30 PM (AEDT) through this link
The lecture will be on Zoom Platform, on the 24th of November 2023, at 08:30 AM (EET) /03:30 PM (AEDT) through this link
Professor Chamindie Punyadeera, PhD, GCLead, GAICD, Head, Saliva and Liquid Biopsy Translational Laboratory, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD) and Menzies Health Institute, Gold Coast, Griffith University, Australia.
Professor Chamindie Punyadeera is an inventor and an ambassador to women in STEMM. She has had a hybrid research career working in industry as well as in academia. She heads the saliva and liquid biopsy translational laboratory at Griffith University in Brisbane. Chamindie’ s laboratory develops biomarkers from concept through to commercialisation. She has made groundbreaking discoveries that has led to the world-first detection of an occult HPV driven oropharyngeal cancer in a healthy person, laying the foundation for a screening trial.
Professor Chamindie Punyadeera is an inventor and an ambassador to women in STEMM. She has had a hybrid research career working in industry as well as in academia. She heads the saliva and liquid biopsy translational laboratory at Griffith University in Brisbane. Chamindie’ s laboratory develops biomarkers from concept through to commercialisation. She has made groundbreaking discoveries that has led to the world-first detection of an occult HPV driven oropharyngeal cancer in a healthy person, laying the foundation for a screening trial.
Her research into saliva-based test to early diagnose and predict head and neck cancer, received FDA approval under breakthrough device designation (CancerDetectTM) for her industry partner in 2021. In addition, her laboratory develops and applies liquid biopsy-based technologies to early detect and predict outcomes in head and neck cancer, lung cancer and glioblastoma. She has authored >140 research papers (H-index 46) including Nature Materials, Clin Chem, 8 book chapters, 21 PCT, including one granted patent. She currently receives research grant funding from ARC, NHMRC, Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Foundation, NIH and Cancer Australia and industry. She is a grant reviewer for both national and international funding agencies and currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Oral Oncology, associate editor BMC Genomics and a guest editor to BMC Medical Genomics, Diagnostics and Biomolecules.
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The Online Guest Lecture by Dr Hager Kowash, University of Manchester
We are happy to invite you to attend the lecture “The impact of extracellular vesicles derived from watermelon on placental function and pregnancy outcomes in an in vivo model“, delivered by Dr Hager Kowash.
The lecture will be on Zoom Platform, on the 8th of November 2023, at 14:00 (EET) /12:00 (GMT) through this link
The lecture will be on Zoom Platform, on the 8th of November 2023, at 14:00 (EET) /12:00 (GMT) through this link
Dr. Hager Kowash is a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Manchester with research interests that include fetal programming, placental biology and the developmental origins of disease. After completing her undergraduate BSc degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Leeds and Masters in Reproductive and Developmental Biology from Imperial College London, she completed her PhD project at Manchester investigating how stress during pregnancy, eliciting a maternal immune activation response, can lead to the propensity of offspring to develop neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as schizophrenia in later life. The project focussed on in utero responses, aiming to determine and understand the placenta’s response to maternal immune activation and its subsequent role and interaction with the developing fetal brain. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital, University of Manchester.
As a post-doctoral researcher, she is interested in developing potential dietary therapeutic interventions to treat pregnancy complications such as fetal growth restriction in a mouse model, working initially in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell with a focus on nitrate and beetroot juice and currently, within the Westwood lab, characterising and developing potential therapies for pregnancy complications using extracellular vesicles derived from fruit and vegetables, in particular watermelon. In addition to her lab work, Hager continues to teach and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students from across the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health in the lab and contributes to the MSc Reproduction and Pregnancy course within the department.
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Guest lecture by Dr. Rienk Nieuwland, Amsterdam University Medical Center
Learn more in the topic of “Blood, sweat and tears. Extracellular vesicles and coagulation” by joining the online guest lecture of Dr. Rienk Nieuwland, the chair of the “Amsterdam Vesicle Center” of the Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherland.
The lecture will take place on Zoom Platform, on the 6th of October 2023, at 13:30 PM (EST)/ 14:30 (EEST), via zoom link.
The lecture will take place on Zoom Platform, on the 6th of October 2023, at 13:30 PM (EST)/ 14:30 (EEST), via zoom link.
Rienk Nieuwland, biologist (PhD), chairs the “Amsterdam Vesicle Center” of the Amsterdam University Medical Center (www.vesiclecenter.com). We focus on isolation, detection, functional characterization, and standardization of measurements on extracellular vesicles (EVs) for biomarker exploration. He coordinated EURAMET projects METVES and METVES II aimed to standardize concentration measurements of EVs, chaired the Scientific Standardization Committee on Vascular Biology of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), co-chairs the Rigor and Standardization Committee of International Society on Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV), is executive board member and chairs the Educational Committee (ISEV), chairs the Blood EV task force (ISEV), is co-founder and member of the Extracellular Vesicle Flow Cytometry Working Group (www.evflowcytometry.org), is vice-president of the Netherlands Society for Extracellular Vesicles (www.nlsev.nl), and co-organizes a recently founded working group of ISEV and the European Liquid Biopsy Society (ELBS).
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Guest lecture by Dr. Mansoor Amiji, Northeastern University in Boston
Join the COMBIVET ERA Chair of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for a guest lecture by Dr. Mansoor Amiji from Northeastern University in Boston, USA. The lecture on 21st of September at 15:00 Estonian time. The theme is "Extracellular Vesicles - Meditated Communication in the Tumor Microenvironment". Join lecture online via zoom link.
Dr. Mansoor Amiji is currently the University Distinguished Professor, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Professor of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Dr. Amiji received his BS degree in pharmacy from Northeastern University in 1988 and a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from Purdue University in 1992. Dr. Amiji’s teaches both undergraduate and graduate students at Northeastern University. His research is focused on development of biocompatible materials from natural and synthetic polymers, target-specific drug and gene delivery systems for cancer and infectious diseases, and nanotechnology applications for medical diagnosis, imaging, and therapy. Dr. Amiji has edited twelve books and has published over 60 books chapters and over 350 peer-reviewed articles. He is a Highly Cited Researcher (top 1%) in Pharmacology and Toxicology and has a Google H index of 103. Dr. Amiji has received a number of honors and awards including the Nano Science and Technology Institute’s Award for Outstanding Contributions towards the Advancement of Nanotechnology, Microtechnology, and Biotechnology, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Meritorious Manuscript Award, Controlled Release Society’s (CRS) Nagai Award, and he is a Elected Fellow of both the AAPS and CRS.
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Guest lecture by Prof. Tina S. Dalgaard, Aarhus University, Denmark
Dig into the topic of “Host-pathogen interactions in Ascaridia galli infected chickens”, by participating in the lecture of Prof. Tina S. Dalgaard.
The lecture will take place physically in room 0015, EMU Main building, Kreutzwaldi 1a, and on Zoom Platform, on the 19th of September 2023, at 10:30 (EEST) through this link.
The lecture will take place physically in room 0015, EMU Main building, Kreutzwaldi 1a, and on Zoom Platform, on the 19th of September 2023, at 10:30 (EEST) through this link.
Dr. Tina S. Dalgaard has worked with veterinary immunology especially the avian immune system for over 20 years at the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Aarhus University, Denmark. Her research focuses on experimental models of infectious chicken diseases for evaluation of natural immunity as well as vaccine induced protection with a special interest in cell-mediated adaptive immune responses. Moreover, her work comprises studies of immunomodulatory interventions to improve disease control but also includes research to support understanding of the genetic background for natural disease resistance and optimal immunocompetence as well as biomarkers for general robustness/resilience.
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Guest lecture by Mr. Indika Liyanahewage, Sri Lanka
Join the lecture on theme ''How to Deal With Work Stress and Recover From Burnout according to science''.
The lecture will take place on Zoom Platform, on the 12th of September 2023, at 09:00 AM (EEST)/ 11:30 AM (SLST), through this link.
The lecture will take place on Zoom Platform, on the 12th of September 2023, at 09:00 AM (EEST)/ 11:30 AM (SLST), through this link.
Indika Liyanahewage is a professional and an academic with a wealth of experience and knowledge in many Business areas and Human behavior. He is the Director/Chief Executive Officer – Eskimo Fashion Knitwear (Private) Limited, and also the chairman of Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association (SLAEA). Nevertheless, he also holds a non – executive Director position in Independent Television Network (Pvt.) Ltd in Sri Lanka. He is responsible for the bottom-line performance of the same. With a unique combination of Business and Human management skills, Indika is a master of handling Emotions and changing Behaviors. Indika obtained his MBA qualification from PIM (Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura – Sri Lanka). He is a Fellow member of CIMA and his first degree (B.Sc. Mgt.Sp.) was also obtained from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura – Sri Lanka. He was trained on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) by Dr. Tad James himself, at Tad James Co. Australia and was qualified as a Certified Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming, Certified NLP Coach, Time Line Therapy® Practitioner and a Hypnotist. Indika is highly sought after by many corporates for training due to his proven track record and excellent feedback. Training and lecturing are his passion, and he believes in sharing knowledge as much as possible. He says, “The life is so impermanent and therefore we should give our knowledge to others as soon as possible without any reservation”.
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Guest lecture by Dr. John Parrington, University of Oxford
Dr. John Parrington (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at the University of Oxford, and a Tutorial Fellow in Medicine at Worcester College, Oxford. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in science journals including Nature, Current Biology, Journal of Cell Biology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, The EMBO Journal, Development, Developmental Biology, and Human Reproduction. Furthermore, Dr. Parrington's research interests lie in the molecular mechanisms of reproduction and early embryogenesis, the role of calcium signals in mediating key physiological events, and genomic and proteomic approaches to understanding cell signaling.
Dr Parrington also has a key interest in popular science and communication of science to the public. In 2012, he was awarded a prestigious Media Fellowship from the British Science Association, beating 170 applications to become one of 10 lucky scientists sent to media outlets such as the BBC. Dr. Parrington spent seven weeks with The Times of London and covered the ENCODE project, which indicated that contrary to popular thought at the time, 80-100% of the genome was in fact functional. The ensuing controversy of this finding inspired him to write The Deeper Genome, which explores what the genome is and how our understanding of it has changed over the years.
Dr Parrington also has a key interest in popular science and communication of science to the public. In 2012, he was awarded a prestigious Media Fellowship from the British Science Association, beating 170 applications to become one of 10 lucky scientists sent to media outlets such as the BBC. Dr. Parrington spent seven weeks with The Times of London and covered the ENCODE project, which indicated that contrary to popular thought at the time, 80-100% of the genome was in fact functional. The ensuing controversy of this finding inspired him to write The Deeper Genome, which explores what the genome is and how our understanding of it has changed over the years.
SEMINAR 1 31st of August 2023, at 11:00 in University of Tartu, Ravila 19, room 0088 ''The TPCs: Endolysosomal calcium channels that play key roles on Health and disease'' Register for online participation till the 29th of August, through the link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuf-CrqDgtGNCXrb3Vl3OLxNpjEWtZ7dce |
SEMINAR 2 1st of September 2023, at 11:00 in EMU Main hall, Kreutzwaldi 1a ''Science is wicked! Communucating science to the public'' Register for online participation till the 29th of August, through the link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEoduGhqzwtGtXoLS1pzqJhKCtvwBM36hd- |
Guest lecture by Prof. Marcia de Almeida Monteiro Melo Ferraz, Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Germany
Join the COMBIVET ERA Chair of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for a guest lecture by Prof. Marcia de Almeida Monteiro Melo Ferraz from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Germany. The lecture theme is " The secretory life of cells: Spying on (and simulating) cell communication to improve Assisted Reproductive technologies".
Dr. Ferraz graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil as a Veterinary doctor and she completed her Master’s degree in Animal Genetics and Biotechnology of Reproduction from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain in 2013. Then She completed her doctoral degree at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands in the year 2018 after which she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA during 2017-2020. In 2020, Dr. Ferraz was appointed as an Affiliate professor in the Department of Biology, UBC Kelowna, British Colombia, Canada, and also, she is the Group Leader in Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany. In the year 2021, she was appointed as the Professor for Clinical-Experimental Reproductive Medicine at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany, and in the year 2020, she was granted the “Sofja Kovalevskaja Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation” which is granted to young exceptionally promising researchers from abroad in recognition of outstanding academic achievements and to enable them to embark on academic careers in Germany by establishing their research group at a research institution in Germany.
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Guest lecture by Prof. Claudia Klein, the Institute of Farm Animal Genetics
in Mariensee, Germany
Join the COMBIVET ERA Chair of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for a guest lecture by Prof. Claudia Klein from the Institute of Farm Animal Genetics in Mariensee, Germany. The lecture theme is "Advances in embryology and animal reproduction".
The lecture would take place via zoom on 11th May 2023 at 11.00 Estonian time ( https://zoom.us/j/92899508665?pwd=WDJxOWIrUGw2NWY2TjB6bGJCdjVUZz09 )
The lecture would take place via zoom on 11th May 2023 at 11.00 Estonian time ( https://zoom.us/j/92899508665?pwd=WDJxOWIrUGw2NWY2TjB6bGJCdjVUZz09 )
Dr. Klein graduated with honors from JLU Giessen, Germany in 2004. She then prepared her Dr. med. vet thesis entitled “Identification of genes induced by the conceptus in the bovine endometrium during the pre-implantation period” in the Laboratory of Functional Genome Analysis at the LMU, Munich, Germany. Following a year as Clinical Instructor at the Clinic for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Andrology of Large and Small Animals, JLU Giessen, Dr. Klein joined the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida as Resident in Theriogenology. In 2009 Dr. Klein obtained the status of Diplomate of the American College Theriogenologists (ACT) and the European College of Animal Reproduction (ECAR) in 2009. In 2010 she successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis “Embryo-Maternal Communication During Early Pregnancy in the Horse – A Transcriptional Approach”. Dr. Klein joined the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Calgary in 2012 as a Professor of Theriogenology. Since 2020 she is the head of the Institute of Farm Animal Genetics in Mariensee, Germany.
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Guest lecture by Prof. Adriele Prina-Mello, Trinity College Dublin,
the University of Dublin
Join the COMBIVET ERA Chair of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for a guest lecture by Prof. Adriele Prina-Mello, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
Guest lecture by Dr. Albert Lu, University of Barcelona
Join the COMBIVET ERA Chair of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for a guest lecture by Dr. Albert Lu, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Barcelona. He will talk about his latest research into “Exploring extracellular vesicle biology and beyond using unbiased genetic screening approaches”.
The lecture would take place via zoom on 22nd November 2022 at 12.00 Estonian time (https://zoom.us/j/7349300849?pwd=b3k5WXZ4S1gzakVpOCtCemw2MDFoZz09)
The lecture would take place via zoom on 22nd November 2022 at 12.00 Estonian time (https://zoom.us/j/7349300849?pwd=b3k5WXZ4S1gzakVpOCtCemw2MDFoZz09)
After finishing his Medical Degree, Dr. Albert Lu started his PhD at the Laboratory of Professor Oriol Bachs at the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona where he dissected endosomal trafficking and signaling pathways of the K-Ras oncogene. During this time, he visited Professor Michiyuki Matsuda’s Lab at Kyoto University where he used in vivo FRET microscopy technologies to visualize K-Ras signaling on late endosomes.
For his postdoc, he moved to Stanford University (CA, United States) where he joined Suzanne Pfeffer’s Laboratory. During the first period of his postdoctoral studies, he elucidated a Golgi-localized pathway controlling cell cycle progression. Later, he spearheaded two projects that involved devising novel CRISPR/Cas9 genetic screening approaches to interrogate, at genome scale, different aspects of extracellular vesicle biology (both of which he will be talking about today). |
He then moved back to the University of Barcelona where he recently obtained a tenure-track assistant professor position. He currently holds a grant from the Michael J Fox Foundation (US) to study the role of the endolysosomal lipid BMP (also known as LBPA) as a novel exosomal biomarker of Parkinson’s disease. He has also served as a scientific consultant for Mantra Bio, a San Francisco-based company developing exosome therapeutics.
Guest lecture by Prof. Gregory Lavieu
Dr. Lavieu is a world expert in membrane trafficking and a pioneer in the field of EV functionality, especially the EV uptake and cargo delivery aspects of intercellular communication. His research career began in the Pierre and Marie curie university in Paris and he continued his post-doctoral research in Yale university, USA. He is currently the director of the Lavieu lab of University of Paris and an INSERM permanent investigator.
SEMINAR 1
October 17th 2022. 11.00. Room 0088 in Ravila 19 (biomedicum) Title : ''Cellular and Molecular characterization of Extracellular Vesicle Uptake and Delivery'' Extracellular Vesicle or Exosomes are thought to mediate transport of biomolecules such as proteins or nucleotides between donor and acceptor cells. Although the physiological importance is EVs is recognized, we still don’t know much about the mechanisms that dictate EV cargo delivery within the acceptor cells. Here, Prof. Lavieu will share his most recent work and discuss his current model for EV uptake and content delivery. |
SEMINAR 2
October 18th 2022. 15.00. Kretzwaldi 1a Title: ''Virus-free Method to Control and Enhance Extracellular Vesicle (EV)-Cargo Loading and Delivery: Toward the Bioengineering of “Killer EVs”'' EVs are promising vectors for therapeutics delivery, however their intrinsic capacity to deliver cargo inside acceptor cells seems too limited to utilize natural EVs as efficient delivery vectors. Here, Prof. Lavieu will describe a novel method to control EV-cargo loading and enhance EV cargo delivery within acceptor cell. This method doesn’t require any viral components that are classically used in artificial delivery vectors. Using this method, the group have engineered killer EVs that contain a lethal toxin capable to eliminate acceptor cells, including cancer cells. This may open new doors in precision care medicine. |
Guest lecture by Dr. Ignacio Caballero-Posadas of INRAE, France on
“Boosting innate immunity to fight infectious diseases in the pig lungs”.
The lecture will take place via zoom on 8th September 2022 at 11.00. Please join via the Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/7349300849?pwd=b3k5WXZ4S1gzakVpOCtCemw2MDFoZz09#success.
https://zoom.us/j/7349300849?pwd=b3k5WXZ4S1gzakVpOCtCemw2MDFoZz09#success.
Dr. Caballero-Posadas graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Murcia, Spain in 2003. His studies were focused on the pig, both for its great economic impact as livestock and its growing importance as a biomedical model. He started my career working on the development of porcine reproductive biotechnologies, and then shifted towards the generation of transgenic pig models and the study of the immune response. After obtaining Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship to work at Dr Fazeli’s lab at the University of Sheffield, he developed an interest in Toll-like receptor signaling, which he has continued as a researcher at the INRAE, Centre Val de Loire, France. In particular he studies how we can modulate Toll-like receptor and NFkB signaling to develop novel alternative therapies and immune-stimulation strategies.
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Guest lecture by Dr. Stefania Raimondo on plant-derived vesicles and their role
in cross-kingdom communication
Join the lecture on 28th of July 2022 at 11.00 a.m (Helsinki time) via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7349300849?pwd=b3k5WXZ4S1gzakVpOCtCemw2MDFoZz09

Dr. Stefania Raimondo is a post-doctoral researcher who is currently employed at the University of Palermo, Italy. In the year 2014, she obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Immuno-Pharmacology from the University of Palermo under the mentorship of Professor Riccardo Alessandro. Her Doctoral and Post-doctoral studies were mainly focused on the identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying intercellular communication in cancer allowing her to develop a strong background in oncology, biomarker discovery, and inflammatory-based disorders.
During her career, she was involved in the isolation, molecular characterization, and functional roles of tumor-derived exosomes and other extracellular vesicles (EVs), which recently emerged as important mediators of the horizontal propagation of oncogenic signaling locally and at distance. During the early years of her PhD program, she worked closely with Dr. Jan Lotvall’s research group in Gotheborg, Sweden, where they demonstrated the value of studying EVs in various conditions.
In the last 8 years, Dr. Raimondo’s research interests were mainly focused on the study of vesicles isolated from plants. Particularly the interactions between plant vesicles and mammalian cells. As a result of her passion for plant EV research, she co-founded the startup Navhetec S.r.l. in 2016. Since 2019 Dr. Raimondo has been a StarShip Health Innovation fellow, an educational initiative in collaboration with leading European academic and health industry partners.
During her career, she was involved in the isolation, molecular characterization, and functional roles of tumor-derived exosomes and other extracellular vesicles (EVs), which recently emerged as important mediators of the horizontal propagation of oncogenic signaling locally and at distance. During the early years of her PhD program, she worked closely with Dr. Jan Lotvall’s research group in Gotheborg, Sweden, where they demonstrated the value of studying EVs in various conditions.
In the last 8 years, Dr. Raimondo’s research interests were mainly focused on the study of vesicles isolated from plants. Particularly the interactions between plant vesicles and mammalian cells. As a result of her passion for plant EV research, she co-founded the startup Navhetec S.r.l. in 2016. Since 2019 Dr. Raimondo has been a StarShip Health Innovation fellow, an educational initiative in collaboration with leading European academic and health industry partners.
Joint Seminar Program between Estonian University of Life Sciences and the
Polish Academy of Science, Olsztyn
The idea for a joint seminar program was put forward by Prof. Alireza Fazeli and Prof. Aneta Andronowska together to discuss and share knowledge on the amazing scientific work that the researchers from these two institutes have been doing in their specific fields of science, and with expectations of broadening our own horizons.
Session 1 (17.05.2022; 11-13 pm Helsinki time)
Session 1 (17.05.2022; 11-13 pm Helsinki time)
Sylwia Machcińska
Department of Biological Function of Food, Polish Academy of Science, Olsztyn |
Sylwia Machcińska is a final year PhD student at the Department of Biological Function of Food at the Polish Academy of Science in Olsztyn. She implements a research program as part of the National Science Center project entitled: , Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α) and transcription factor Foxn1 guide regenerative vs reparative skin wound healing processes' under the supervision of Prof. Barbara Gawrońska-Kozak. The results of the research and analyzes is a scientific work published in 2021 in the prestigious FASEB Journal, and currently, the second work is awaiting publication. Moreover, Sylwia is also the co-author of 6 original papers in which she participated during her PhD.
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Sinith Withanage is a first-year PhD student at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research in Olsztyn. His research interests are mainly focused on the fields of electrophysiology, biophysics, physic-chemical characterizations, and hydrogels for advanced biomedical applications.
He is a former research engineer contributing to the research groups of natural nanomaterials and 3D bioprinting at “Solution chemistry for advanced materials and technology laboratory” in Saint Petersburg. He has completed his Masters’s degree in Molecular biology and biotechnology with a specialization of Nanopharmaceuticals at the National Research University of ITMO, Saint Petersburg. He has obtained his bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from Tianjin Medical University, China. Currently, he is working on the project titled “Voltage Across Hydrogels - A New perspective on cell’s membrane potential” under the supervision of Dr. Magdalena Kowacz. |
Sinith Withanage
Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Olsztyn |
Kasun Godakumara
Institute of Biomedicine and translational medicine, University of Tartu, Estonia. |
Kasun Godakumara is a final-year Ph.D. student at the University of Tartu. He started his research career at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka where he studied hard tissue biology in osteoporosis conditions. He earned his Bachelor’s in Medical Laboratory Science and Master of Philosophy in Biotechnology from the University of Peradeniya in 2013 and 2016 respectively. After being employed as a laboratory analyst in the chemical pathology sector, he joined the University of Tartu as a doctoral student in 2018. He was attached to the ERA Chair of Translational Genomics (TransGeno) under the supervision of Prof Alireza Fazeli. His studies are focused on extracellular vesicle-based embryo maternal communication.
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Guest lecture by Prof. Dr. Jennifer Schoen and Dr. Shuai Chen,
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany
Join the COMBIVET ERA Chair of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for a guest lecture by Prof. Dr. Jennifer Schoen and Dr. Shuai Chen, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany. They will talk about their latest research into “Application of compartmentalized in vitro models to explore maternal interactions with gametes and early embryos”. Prof. Schoen’s group investigates reproductive adaptations underlying different reproductive strategies in mammals and the impact of environmental factors on fertility. They are interested in cell biological and molecular mechanisms of reproductive processes and their hormonal regulation and establish and optimize new methods for assisted reproduction and contact-free/minimally invasive hormone monitoring of wild animals. |
Jennifer Schoen
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Jennifer Schoen is Head of the Department of Reproduction Biology at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and Professor of Cellular Reproduction Biotechnology at the Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. She has studied Veterinary Medicine in Berlin and completed her doctoral thesis at the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.
After a postdoctoral period in the Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin and short stays at the University of Concepcion, Chile, and at Charité Berlin, she took over the Reproductive Cell Biology Unit at the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology in Dummerstorf, Germany, in 2014 before she returned to the IZW in 2021. Prof. Schoen’s group investigates reproductive adaptations underlying different reproductive strategies in mammals and the impact of environmental factors on fertility. They are interested in cell biological and molecular mechanisms of reproductive processes and their hormonal regulation and establish and optimize new methods for assisted reproduction and contact-free/minimally invasive hormone monitoring of wild animals. |
Shuai Chen is currently working at the Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) as the head of the Cell Culture Lab. Early embryonic development is a particularly sensitive phase that critically depends on a complex network of embryo-maternal interactions. It is crucial not only for the course of pregnancy but also for the individual’s health in later phases of life. Her main research field is animal reproductive biology, particularly focusing on events during the early stage of embryo development in domestic and wild animals. Her current research interests include: in vitro models of the female reproductive tract, actions of steroid hormones, preimplantation maternal stress, and extracellular vesicles as mediators in embryo-maternal crosstalk. The objective is to improve our understanding of the dynamic milieu of the oviduct and uterus and the signal exchanges between early gametes/embryos and the mother in health and disease, with the long-term goal to improve animal fertility and pregnancy outcome.
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Shuai Chen
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Guest lecture by Prof. Masako Harada, The Institute for Quantitative Health
Science & Engineering, Michigan state University, USA
Seminar by Masako Harada PhD on 22nd March
Join the COMBIVET ERA Chair of the Estonian University of Life Sciences for a guest lecture by Prof. Masako Harada from The Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering, Michigan state University, USA. Prof. Harada will talk about her latest research into “Engineering extracellular vesicles for targeted therapeutic delivery”.
Prof. Harada received her undergraduate degree in molecular genetics from King’s College London. She earned her Ph.D. in experimental oncology from Karolinska Institute in Sweden and conducted her postdoctoral training in cancer chemotherapy at Stanford University. Her lab is currently working on targeted epigenetic therapy using engineered EV-CRISPR/dCas9 system, EV mediated microRNA delivery for cancer therapy and development of “therapeutic guide proteins” using an in vivo EV-display screen. The ultimate goal of her research is to translate basic scientific findings into clinical applications. The lecture would take place via Zoom on 22nd of March 2022 at 15.00 Estonian time. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3MuL7lR |