
Areas of expertise
B cells
Antigen receptor signaling
Cell biology
Actin cytoskeleton
Plasma membrane
Advanced microscopy
Biography
MSc in Biochemistry 2002 (University of Oulu, Finland)
PhD in Genetics 2008 (University of Helsinki)
Postdoc: Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute 2008-2012
Adjunct Professor: 2014
Principal Investigator positions:Academy of Finland Research Fellow 2016-2022 (University of Turku)
Special Researcher of Turku Colleague of Science and Medicine 2012-2016 (University of Turku)
Career breaks: 2 maternity leaves
Teaching
I am lecturing on various Master’s and PhD level courses on topics including the adaptive immune system, cell signaling, cytoskeleton, and microscopy. I have been involved in designing new courses targeted for PhD students and postdocs. I have done University Pedagogics 1 course to develop my pedagogic skills. At every day level, I am supervising
doctoral students, postdocs, as well as guide Master’s thesis projects.
Research
B lymphocytes are key cells in mounting the adaptive immune
response by differentiating into antibody secreting plasma cells. Our group is
interested in the molecular mechanisms of B lymphocyte activation, with
emphasis on receptor activation and its immediate cell biological responses,
typically culminating at the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, plasma
membranes and intracellular traffic. In our research, we take advantage of both
in vivo models and various advanced imaging techniques, including
super-resolution microscopy, as well as modern proteomic approaches such as
APEX2 proximity biotinylation.
More information about our projects, including our publications, can be found at: http://mattilalab.utu.fi.