Leaders
Our research group focuses on understanding vessel formation and remodelling in disease. Particularly, the role of cell-cell crosstalk, cell plasticity and angiocrine signaling are studied in disease progression. Based on the data, we develop new gene medicines for cardiovascular diseases.
Projects:
- Angiocrine signaling and vascular cell-cell crosstalk
- Disease mechanisms of venous malformations
- Disease mechanisms of ascending aortic aneurysms
- New gene medicines
News
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Our research bulletin: Fibroblasts participate in the formation of vascular malformations – a potential new target for therapyOur research bulletin: Fibroblasts participate in the formation of vascular malformations – a potential new target for therapy
Cooperation
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Juhana Frösen, Professor, Chief Physician (neurosurgery)
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Cardiovascular Genomics (Kaikkonen lab) 01.09.2015 - -
Molecular Medicine 01.01.1995 - -
Heart surgery imaging 01.01.2022 - -
Biomedical Image Analysis 01.11.2016 - -
Ocular Drug Delivery group (ODD) 01.01.2010 -
Our cover image in a recent issue of Angiogenesis journal (y. 2021). In the image, you can see cells that have formed tubes (i.e. points of the star) mimicking blood vessel formation.
Keywords
Leaders
Senior Researchers
Post-doctoral Researchers
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Mustafa Beter
Postdoctoral ResearcherA.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences -
Heidi Pulkkinen
Postdoctoral ResearcherA.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences
Doctoral Researchers
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Miika Kiema
Doctoral ResearcherA.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences -
Liinu Kilpeläinen
Research TraineeA.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences
Other group members
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Anna Ronkonen
Publications
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Endothelialization of coronary stents after intra-luminal adenoviral VEGF-A gene transfer in a preclinical porcine restenosis model – Studies with optical coherence tomography, angioscopy, multiphoton and scanning electron microscopy
Hytönen, Jarkko P; Pajula, Juho; Halonen, Paavo; Taavitsainen, Jouni; Kuivanen, Antti; Tarvainen, Santeri; Heikkilä, Minja; Mäkinen, Petri; Koistinen, Arto; Laakkonen, Johanna P; Hartikainen, Juha; Ylä-Herttuala, Seppo. 2025. Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology. 199: 118-125 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Epigenetic drug screening identifies enzyme inhibitors A-196 and TMP-269 as novel regulators of sprouting angiogenesis
Beter, M.; Pulkkinen, HH.; Örd, T; Sormunen, A; Kilpeläinen, L; Dunford, JE; Kaikkonen, MU; Aavik, E; Laham-Karam, N; Oppermann, U; Laakkonen, JP; Ylä-Herttuala, S. 2025. Scientific reports. 15: . 1628 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals sex differences in the subcellular composition and associated gene-regulatory network activity of human carotid plaques
Sukhavasi, Katyayani; Mocci, Giuseppe; Ma, Lijiang; Hodonsky, Chani J.; Diez Benevante, Ernest; Muhl, Lars; Liu, Jianping; Gustafsson, Sonja; Buyandelger, Byambajav; Koplev, Simon; Lendahl, Urban; Vanlandewijck, Michael; Singha, Prosanta; Örd, Tiit; Beter, Mustafa; Selvarajan, Ilakya; Laakkonen, Johanna P.; Väli, Marika; den Ruijter, Hester M.; Civelek, Mete; Hao, Ke; Ruusalepp, Arno; Betsholtz, Christer; Järve, Heli; Kovacic, Jason C.; Miller, Clint L.; Romanoski, Casey; Kaikkonen, Minna U.; Bj. 2025. Nature cardiovascular research. 4: 412–432 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Utility of adenoviral vectors in animal models—CV disease
Laakkonen, Johanna P; Ylä-Herttuala, Seppo. Teoksessa: Curiel, David T; Parker, Alan L(toim.) , 2025. Adenoviral Vectors for Gene Therapy. s. 687-704. Elsevier B2 Book section -
Coronary Artery Disease Risk Variant Dampens the Expression of CALCRL by Reducing HSF Binding to Shear Stress Responsive Enhancer in Endothelial Cells in Vitro
Selvarajan, Ilakya; Kiema, Miika; Huang, Ru Ting; Li, Jin; Zhu, Jiayu; Pölönen, Petri; Örd, Tiit; Õunap, Kadri; Godiwala, Mehvash; Golebiewski, Anna Kathryn; Ravindran, Aarthi; Mäklin, Kiira; Toropainen, Anu; Stolze, Lindsey K; Arce, Maximiliano; Magnusson, Peetra U; White, Stephen; Romanoski, Casey E; Heinäniemi, Merja; Laakkonen, Johanna P; Fang, Yun; Kaikkonen, Minna U. 2024. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. 44: 1330-1345 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Low dose Adenoviral Vammin gene transfer induces myocardial angiogenesis and increases left ventricular ejection fraction in ischemic porcine heart
Järveläinen, Niko; Halonen, Paavo J; Nurro, Jussi; Kuivanen, Antti; Pajula, Juho; Tarkia, Miikka; Grönman, Maria; Saraste, Antti; Laakkonen, Johanna; Toivanen, Pyry; Nieminen, Tiina; Rissanen, Tuomas T; Knuuti, Juhani; Ylä-Herttuala, Seppo. 2024. Scientific reports. 14: . 30003 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Proteomics on human cerebral cavernous malformations reveals novel biomarkers in neurovascular dysfunction for the disease pathology
Jauhiainen, Suvi; Onyeogaziri, Favour C; Lazzaroni, Francesca; Conze, Lei Liu; Laakkonen, Johanna P.; Karam, Nihay Laham; Laakso, Aki; Niemelä, Mika; Jahromi, Behnam Rezai; Magnusson, Peetra U.. 2024. Biochimica et biophysica acta: molecular basis of disease. 1870: A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Translatome profiling reveals Itih4 as a novel smooth muscle cell–specific gene in atherosclerosis
Ravindran, Aarthi; Holappa, Lari; Niskanen, Henri; Skovorodkin, Ilya; Kaisto, Susanna; Beter, Mustafa; Kiema, Miika; Selvarajan, Ilakya; Nurminen, Valtteri; Aavik, Einari; Aherrahrou, Rédouane; Pasonen-Seppänen, Sanna; Fortino, Vittorio; Laakkonen, Johanna P; Ylä-Herttuala, Seppo; Vainio, Seppo; Örd, Tiit; Kaikkonen, Minna U. 2024. Cardiovascular research. 120: 869-882 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
BMP2 gene transfer induces pericardial effusion and inflammatory response in the ischemic porcine myocardium
Pulkkinen, HH; Kivistö-Rahnasto, A; Korpela, H; Heikkilä, M; Järveläinen, N; Siimes, S; Kilpeläinen, L; Laham-Karam, N; Ylä-Herttuala, S; Laakkonen, JP. 2023. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine. 10: . 1279613 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Dissecting the polygenic basis of atherosclerosis via disease-associated cell state signatures
Örd, Tiit; Lönnberg, Tapio; Nurminen, Valtteri; Ravindran, Aarthi; Niskanen, Henri; Kiema, Miika; Õunap, Kadri; Maria, Maleeha; Moreau, Pierre R; Mishra, Pashupati P; Palani, Senthil; Virta, Jenni; Liljenbäck, Heidi; Aavik, Einari; Roivainen, Anne; Ylä-Herttuala, Seppo; Laakkonen, Johanna P; Lehtimäki, Terho; Kaikkonen, Minna U. 2023. American journal of human genetics. 110: 722-740 A1 Journal article (refereed), original research