Robert Risti

Robert Risti is a Research Fellow at Tallinn University of Technology's School of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology. His research focuses on biochemistry and enzymology, particularly lipoprotein lipase mechanisms and lipid metabolism. He holds a PhD (2023) and MSc (2017) from TalTech. His work includes studies on enzyme regulation, protein interactions, and clinical lipidology. He has supervised multiple bachelor’s and master’s theses in biochemical research areas.

Education: PhD in Chemistry and Gene Technology (2023), MSc in Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology (2017), BSc in Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology (2014). Research spans SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics, hypertriglyceridemia treatments, and lipid metabolism mechanisms. He has contributed to projects funded by Estonian Research Council and TalTech, totaling over €1.5M in grants.

Research Interests: Enzymology of lipolytic enzymes, protein-protein interactions, calorimetric methodologies. Recent work includes investigating leptin's role in hepatic triglyceride secretion and vegan vs. omnivore serum lipase activity. His studies emphasize in vivo-like conditions for mechanistic insights.

Key grants include 'Development of a human lipoprotein lipase drug' (2023, €10k) and 'Antihypertriglyceridemic peptides' (2022, €50k). Advised eight students on topics like apolipoprotein effects and enzyme inhibition. Part of the Structural and Regulatory Aspects of Lipid Metabolism (IUT19-9) group.