The Leppä group consists of a multidisciplinary group of skilled and motivated scientists and supportive personnel.
People
Principal Investigator, MD, Professor
I am principal investigator in the group and a professor of clinical oncology. Apart from being a group leader, I work as a chief physician of the Clinical Trial Unit at the Department of Oncology of the Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center. I believe that combination of clinical and molecular approaches is pivotal in understanding resistance mechanisms and prognosis and to discover new tools for optimal cancer therapies.
PhD, Docent
My background is in biochemistry and cell biology, and translational/basic cancer research. I work as a senior scientist in the laboratory, and my research focuses on the determination of consequences of patient derived mutations on cellular signaling pathways.
PhD, Docent
I am a senior scientist with expertise in molecular and cellular cancer biology. My research interests include the molecular mechanisms behind treatment resistance of B-cell lymphoma. Currently, I am characterizing the tumor immune microenvironment and its impact on lymphoma survival.
MD, PhD, Post-doctoral fellow
I am a medical oncologist focused on lymphomas, testicular cancer and osteosarcoma. My research interests include the biological mechanisms of testicular lymphoma and its tendency of central nervous system homing. Additionally, I’m interested in the molecular biology of testicular cancer with the aim of reducing treatment toxicity.
MD, PhD, Post-doctoral fellow
I am a specialist in oncology and my main research focus is on genetic alterations and prognostic biological factors of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. I am also involved in conducting clinical lymphoma trials with novel and risk-adapted therapies.
MD, PhD, Post-doctoral fellow
I am a medical oncologist with main interest in lymphomas and clinical trials. My research projects focus on tumor immunology and aggressive extranodal lymphomas, especially testicular diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary central nervous system lymphoma. In addition to research, I work in Tampere University Hospital, Tays Cancer Center and Tays early phase clinical trial unit.
MSc, PhD student
I am working on the molecular alterations behind diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. I am interested in the use of liquid biopsy in monitoring and predicting the disease as well as the genetics behind drug resistant cancer clones. I aim to expand the use of liquid biopsy from research to the clinics.
MD, PhD student
My research focuses on tumor microenvironment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. I am interested in immunological factors that have an impact on patient survival.
MD, PhD student
I am a medical oncologist in training. My research projects focus on molecular and genomic characterization of the tumor microenvironment in nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma with a special interest in factors driving disease progression and transformation. In addition, I´m currently conducting a nationwide, population-based epidemiological assessment of all lymphomas in Finland.
MD, PhD student
I am a medical oncologist and working in the Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center. My study focuses on clinical and biological prognostic factors in primary and relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. I am especially interested in the composition of the tumor microenvironment, the interactions between neoplastic and benign cells therein, and the immunological mechanisms associating with the treatment resistance.
MD, PhD student
My projects integrate genetic alterations of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with clinical and biological characteristics of the disease. These projects aim to recognize clinically relevant mutations from patient plasma (ctDNA sequencing) and elucidate their functional impact on drug resistance and molecular pathogenesis of the disease.
MD, PhD student
I am a medical oncologist and my special interests are survival-associated signaling pathways and soluble factors in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Bachelor of Laboratory Services
I started working in the Lymphoma Biology and Survival Group at the end of 2009 as a laboratory technician.
MD, Docent, Pathology consultant
PhD thesis:
Pauli Vähämurto: Aggressive B-cell lymphomas of sinonasal tract and testis — clinical manifestations and treatment outcome (2020). E-thesis
Marjukka Pollari: Testicular Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma; Prognostic Clinical, Molecular, and Immunological Factors (2019). E-thesis
Sari Riihijärvi: Host and tumour related prognostic factors in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (2016). E-thesis
Minna Taskinen: Prognostic impact of tumor microenvironment in follicular lymphoma patients treated with immunochemotherapy (2011). E-thesis
Heidi Nyman: Prognostic molecular factors and algorithms in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (2010). E-thesis
Risto Kajanne: EGF-R and AP-1 interplay: In vivo and in vitro studies (2009). E-thesis
Antti Sommarhem: Resistance mechanisms of non-Hodgkin lymphomas against rituximab treatment (2007). E-thesis
Minna Eriksson: AP-1 transcription factor in cell differentiation and survival (2005). E-thesis
Master's thesis:
Miia Huhtala: Luokan II ß-tubuliinin vaihtoehtoisen silmukoitumisen rooli diffuusissa suurisoluisessa B-solulymfoomassa (2012)
Maria Pöyhönen: Mikroympäristön merkitys non-Hodgkin-lymfoomissa (2010)
Satu Koivula (2009)
Minna Pietikäinen (2008)