معرفی
Minna Poranen is a Senior University Lecturer at the University of Helsinki within the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and the Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme. She holds an adjunct professorship in Molecular Virology and serves as Group Leader of the Molecular and Translational Virology research group, while also directing the Biomolecular Complex Purification Core Facility (Biocomplex) under the Instruct-HiLIFE research infrastructure.
Her research focuses on molecular virology, particularly the biology of prokaryotic dsRNA viruses, virus assembly, and RNA replication. She develops in vitro self-assembly systems and explores viral processes for synthetic biology applications, with emphasis on RNA interference and molecular evolution of nucleic acid processing enzymes across domains of life.
Recent publications highlight dsRNA-based plant protection strategies, antiviral RNAi therapies, and virus taxonomy updates. Her work spans structural biology (e.g., RNA polymerase structure), innovative RNA delivery systems, and viral genome packaging mechanisms.
- Excellence in Master Thesis Supervision Award (2006)
- China Scholarship Council Supervision Recognition (2014)
- Viikki Biocenter Dissertation Prize (2000)
Poranen supervises doctoral and Master's theses, reviews manuscripts for journals like Nature and PLoS, and participates in national/international scientific committees. She co-leads the Instruct-ERIC structural biology infrastructure and contributes to EU-funded projects such as SusCrop for sustainable agriculture.
