معرفی
Diana Toivola is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Åbo Akademi University. She is also affiliated with the InFLAMES Flagship (Innovation Ecosystem based on the Immune System) Solutions for Health. Her research focuses on keratin biology in epithelial tissues, particularly in the context of colon health, diabetes mechanisms, and inflammatory diseases.
Education:
- Postdoc and Research Scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine (1998–2007)
Research Interests:
- Role of keratins in maintaining epithelial integrity and stress responses
- Impact of keratin deficiencies on colonic pathologies and tumorigenesis
- Keratin regulation of mitochondrial function and energy metabolism
- Connections between keratin networks and diabetes development
- Epithelial cell differentiation and signaling pathways
Publications: Over 123 peer-reviewed articles, with recent work focusing on keratin interactions in β-cells, mitochondrial stabilization in colonocytes, and estrogen-mediated colitis modulation. Key themes include keratin-driven stress protection, tumor suppression, and metabolic adaptations.
Awards:
- ÅAU Student Honors Prize for Best Teacher (2014)
- ÅAU Teacher of the Year 2023 Harry Elving Legacy Award
Grants & Projects:
- Principal Investigator in projects like "Novel β-cell stress protection mechanisms" (Novo Nordisk, 2021–2023)
- Leading the colon-specific mouse model for colorectal cancer research (Research Council of Finland, 2020–2024)
- Co-PI in the CellMech Center of Excellence in Cellular Mechanostasis (2019–2024)
Labs & Teams: Active in the InFLAMES Flagship and collaborates extensively on cellular mechanostasis and immune system innovation projects. Supervised 4 research works to date.