معرفی
Meeme Utt is an Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow in Immunology at the University of Tartu's Faculty of Medicine, with additional appointments as Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. She holds a fractional position (0.70) at the Institute of Pharmacy and a smaller appointment (0.25) at the Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine. Her career spans over three decades, beginning with research in organic chemistry and evolving into immunology and biomedical research.
Dr. Utt earned her PhD in Medical Microbiology from Lund University in 2002 with a dissertation on Helicobacter pylori cell surface interactions with glycosaminoglycans. Her earlier education includes a higher degree from Tartu State University (1983). She has maintained continuous research activity since the 1990s, with positions at both Lund University and the University of Tartu.
Her research focuses on the immunological aspects of autoimmune diseases, particularly type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. She has made significant contributions to understanding ZnT8 autoantibodies as biomarkers for diabetes, transglutaminase 2 interactions in celiac disease, and the role of gut microbiota in autoimmunity. Her work bridges molecular biology, biochemistry, and clinical immunology, with strong emphasis on diagnostic method development.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on autoimmune disease mechanisms, particularly the molecular interactions underlying type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Her work has evolved from basic microbiology to sophisticated immunological research, with recent emphasis on glycobiology, autoantibody detection methods, and the intersection of microbiome research with autoimmune conditions.
Dr. Utt has successfully supervised seven graduate students, including one PhD candidate (Kaupo Teesalu, 2012) and six master's students across immunology, biochemistry, and diagnostic technology fields. She has been involved in numerous research projects funded by the Estonian Research Council and Estonian Science Foundation, with total funding exceeding 3 million euros, primarily focused on diabetes immunology and autoimmune mechanisms.
She leads research activities within the University of Tartu's immunology group, collaborating with both clinical and basic science researchers. Her work involves laboratory-based immunological techniques, molecular biology methods, and clinical sample analysis, contributing to both fundamental understanding of autoimmune mechanisms and practical diagnostic applications.