Mirkka Sarparanta

Mirkka Sarparanta is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki. She serves as a supervisor in the Doctoral Programme in Drug Research and the Doctoral Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences.

• Academy Researcher, Tracers in Molecular Imaging (TRIM) group
• Supervisor in two doctoral programs

Education:

• PhD (Radiochemistry, 2013, University of Helsinki)
• MSc (Chemistry, 2007, University of Helsinki)

Research Interests: Sarparanta specializes in radiochemistry, molecular imaging, and nanomaterials. Her work focuses on radiotracer development for drug delivery, PET/SPECT imaging applications, and environmental transport of radiolabeled materials. Current projects include Probes for Nanodosimetry and New Radiotracers for Drug Research.

Publication Trends: Recent articles (2024-2025) span Communications Chemistry, Neuropharmacology, and Journal of Hazardous Materials, with topics in electroporation delivery, glymphatic system imaging, and Fukushima nuclear contamination. Earlier works (2007-2013) established foundational research in vitamin B12 radiolabeling and porous silicon drug carriers.

Scientific Awards:

• Jorma K. Miettinen Commemorative Medal (2018)

Advising & Grants: Sarparanta has supervised pro gradu and licentiate theses since 2016. She leads multiple funded projects, including the Cancer Foundation grant (€49,999) and Finnish Red Cross Blood Service funding (€40,000). Additional roles include peer reviewer for Acta Biomaterialia and coordinator of international collaborations.

Labs & Teams: She leads the Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry (LS-RIA/HAIP) equipment at the University of Helsinki and contributes to preclinical imaging initiatives.