
Human Brain Disease Modelling (Lehtonen lab)
Research group
Funder(s)
Main funder
Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation

Other funders
Sigrid Juselius Foundation

Päiviki ja Sakari Sohlberg Foundation

Business Finland

The Finnish Parkinson Foundation

The Finnish Culture Foundation

We are also interested in building up a human organ-on-chip model for the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as the BBB and drugs’ ability to cross the BBB and reach the correct target is critical when designing drugs for neurological diseases. To this end, we utilize stem cell-derived human endothelial cells, astrocytes, and pericytes and combine them with organ-on-chip technology. The use of all human cells omits problems arising from cross-species differences, and the organ-on-chip technology mimics the physiological architecture of the BBB and fully control the cellular microenvironment. The chips are provided by Finnadvance – an Oulu-based startup company. Our goal is to use the BBB chips for testing novel drugs and biomolecules like extracellular vesicles to penetrate the BBB. We are also interested in using the model to uncover the molecular and transport mechanisms that regulate BBB permeability in physiological and pathological conditions.
Keywords
Group members - UEF
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Šárka Lehtonen Senior Researcher , Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Jonna Niskanen Early Stage Researcher , Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Tuuli-Maria Sonninen Early Stage Researcher , Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Sara Kälvälä Early Stage Researcher , -
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Vili Hakosalo Project researcher
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Sanni Peltonen Research assistant
Leader(s)
Doctoral Researchers
Research Nurses
Other group members
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Katrina Räty katrina.raty@uef.fi
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Valtteri Syvänen valts@student.uef.fi
Collaboration with UEF research groups
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AIVI Stem Cell Center The stem cell core facility of Biocenter Kuopio...
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Cell and Tissue Imaging Unit Our imaging core facility provides the instrume...
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Martikainen lab Our research group is interested in mitochondri...
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Neuroinflammation research group Acute and slowly degenerative diseases, such as...
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Neurobiology of schizophrenia Group leader:
Professor Jari Tiihonen -
Biomedical Informatics We make use of large-scale biomedical data, suc...
Cooperation partners
Links
Publications
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Blood-Brain Barrier and Neurodegenerative Diseases-Modeling with iPSC-Derived Brain Cells Wu, Ying-Chieh; Sonninen, Tuuli-Maria; Peltonen, Sanni; Koistinaho, Jari; Lehtonen, Sarka. 2021. Blood-Brain Barrier and Neurodegenerative Diseases-Modeling with iPSC-Derived Brain Cells International journal of molecular sciences 22 14: 7710. 2021
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Molecular signaling pathways underlying schizophrenia Tiihonen, Jari; Koskuvi, Marja; Lähteenvuo, Markku; Trontti, Kalevi; Ojansuu, Ilkka; Vaurio, Olli; Cannon, Tyrone D; Lönnqvist, Jouko; Therman, Sebastian; Suvisaari, Jaana; Cheng, Lesley; Tanskanen, Antti; Taipale, Heidi; Lehtonen, Šárka; Koistinaho, Jari. 2021. Molecular signaling pathways underlying schizophrenia Schizophrenia research 232: 33-41. 2021
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Utilising Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Neurodegenerative Disease Research: Focus on Glia Albert, Katrina; Niskanen, Jonna; Kälvälä, Sara; Lehtonen, Šárka. 2021. Utilising Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Neurodegenerative Disease Research: Focus on Glia International journal of molecular sciences 22 9: 4334. 2021
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A CX3CR1 Reporter hESC Line Facilitates Integrative Analysis of In-Vitro-Derived Microglia and Improved Microglia Identity upon Neuron-Glia Co-culture Grubman, Alexandra; Vandekolk, Teresa H; Schröder, Jan; Sun, Guizhi; Hatwell-Humble, Jessica; Chan, Jonathan; Oksanen, Minna; Lehtonen, Sarka; Hunt, Cameron; Koistinaho, Jari; Nilsson, Susan; Haynes, John; Pouton, Colin; Polo, Jose. 2020. A CX3CR1 Reporter hESC Line Facilitates Integrative Analysis of In-Vitro-Derived Microglia and Improved Microglia Identity upon Neuron-Glia Co-culture Stem cell reports 14: 1-15. 2020
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Altered Brain Endothelial Cell Phenotype from a Familial Alzheimer Mutation and Its Potential Implications for Amyloid Clearance and Drug Delivery Oikari, Lotta; Pandit, Rucha; Stewart, Romal; Cuní-López, Carla; Quek, Hazel; Sutharsan, Ratneswary; Rantanen, Laura; Oksanen, Minna; Lehtonen, Sarka; de Boer, Carmela Maria; Polo, Jose; Götz, Jürgen; Koistinaho, Jari; White, Anthony. 2020. Altered Brain Endothelial Cell Phenotype from a Familial Alzheimer Mutation and Its Potential Implications for Amyloid Clearance and Drug Delivery Stem cell reports 14: 1-16. 2020
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Metabolic alterations in Parkinson's disease astrocytes Sonninen, Tuuli-Maria; Hämäläinen, Riikka H; Koskuvi, Marja; Oksanen, Minna; Shakirzyanova, Anastasia; Wojciechowski, Sara; Puttonen, Katja; Naumenko, Nikolay; Goldsteins, Gundars; Laham-Karam, Nihay; Lehtonen, Marko; Tavi, Pasi; Koistinaho, Jari; Lehtonen, Šárka. 2020. Metabolic alterations in Parkinson's disease astrocytes Scientific reports 10 1: 14474. 2020
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Metabolic and immune dysfunction of glia in neurodegenerative disorders: focus on iPSC models Rolova, Taisia; Lehtonen, Sárka; Goldsteins, Gundars; Kettunen, Pinja; Koistinaho, Jari. 2020. Metabolic and immune dysfunction of glia in neurodegenerative disorders: focus on iPSC models Stem cells 2021; 39 3: 256-265. 2020
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Proteostasis Disturbances and Inflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases Sonninen, Tuuli-Maria; Goldsteins, Gundars; Laham-Karam, Nihay; Koistinaho, Jari; Lehtonen, Sarka. 2020. Proteostasis Disturbances and Inflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases Cells 9 10: 2183. 2020
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Astrocyte alterations in neurodegenerative pathologies and their modeling in human induced pluripotent stem cell platforms Oksanen, M; Lehtonen, S; Jaronen, M; Goldsteins, G; Hämäläinen, RH; Koistinaho, J. 2019. Astrocyte alterations in neurodegenerative pathologies and their modeling in human induced pluripotent stem cell platforms Cellular and molecular life sciences 76 14: 2739-2760. 2019
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Dysfunction of Cellular Proteostasis in Parkinson's Disease Lehtonen, Š; Sonninen, TM; Wojciechowski, S; Goldsteins, G; Koistinaho, J. 2019. Dysfunction of Cellular Proteostasis in Parkinson's Disease Frontiers in neuroscience 13: 457. 2019