Tapahtumakalenteri
Dissertation: Samantha Martin
HiLIFE seminar / Viikki Monday Seminar by Inge Zuhorn
Professor Inge Zuhorn from the University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands will give a talk in the HiLIFE seminar series on February 9th at 11.00-12.00.
Coffee and pulla will be served for the participants in front of the lecture hall 30 minutes before the seminar.
Graduate students (also master’s students and PostDocs in case of availablitity) who are interested in meeting Prof. Inge Zuhorn for a student lunch on February 9th at 12.00-13.00 (Viikin Kartano), please contact: mai.soliman@helsinki.fi.
Inge Zuhorn is leading the ‘Targeted Drug Delivery with Nanomedicine’ research group at the University Medical Center Groningen, focusing on drug delivery across cellular barriers. Their research involves the design and synthesis of nanoparticles, and the study of nanoparticle-cell dynamics. The overarching aim of the work is to exploit physiological transport routes for nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery.
After having obtained her PhD on non-viral gene delivery (2002), Dr. Zuhorn worked at the Biomade Technology Foundation for 5 years. After that she returned to academia and started working on the design of nanocarriers for drug delivery to the brain. Her team identified the G23 peptide, a peptide that mediates the transport of nanoparticles across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In addition, they created a filter-free in vitro BBB model in order to quantitatively measure the transport of nanoparticles across the BBB, and developed several assays to measure the endocytosis and endosomal escape of drugs/genes from nanocarrier systems, including extracellular vesicles (EVs).
Dr. Zuhorn was awarded both a VIDI and VICI grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), to develop nanocarriers for drug delivery to the brain, focusing on treatment of glioblastoma. Other translational and collaborative research projects include nanocarrier design for treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Huntington’s Disease (HD) and Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA-1).
Welcome to this exciting seminar! If you want to talk with Inge after the seminar, please email shiqi.wang@helsinki.fi.
Selected publications
- Development of a Microwell System for Reproducible Formation of Homogeneous Cell Spheroids. Miguel A. Reina Mahecha, Ginevra Mariani, Pauline E. M. van Schaik, Paulien Schaafsma, Theo G. van Kooten, Prashant K. Sharma, Inge S. Zuhorn. Pharmaceutics 2026, 18(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18010056
- Breaking free: endocytosis and endosomal escape of extracellular vesicles. Ribovski L, Joshi B, Gao J, Zuhorn I. Extracell Vesicles Circ Nucl Acids. 2023 Jun 30;4(2):283-305. doi: 10.20517/evcna.2023.26.
- Converting extracellular vesicles into nanomedicine: loading and unloading of cargo. B.S. Joshi, D. Ortiz, I.S. Zuhorn. Materials Today Nano 2021, 16, 100148; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtnano.2021.100148.
- Development of curcumin-loaded zein nanoparticles for transport across the blood-brain barrier and inhibition of glioblastoma cell growth. Zhang H, van Os WL, Tian X, Zu G, Ribovski L, Bron R, Bussmann J, Kros A, Liu Y, Zuhorn IS. Biomater Sci. 2021 Oct 26;9(21):7092-7103. doi: 10.1039/d0bm01536a.
- Low nanogel stiffness favors nanogel transcytosis across an in vitro blood-brain barrier. Ribovski L, de Jong E, Mergel O, Zu G, Keskin D, van Rijn P, Zuhorn IS. Nanomedicine. 2021 Jun;34:102377. doi: 10.1016/j.nano.2021.102377.
- Endocytosis of Extracellular Vesicles and Release of Their Cargo from Endosomes. Joshi BS, de Beer MA, Giepmans BNG, Zuhorn IS. ACS Nano. 2020 Apr 28;14(4):4444-4455. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b10033.
- Mechanism of polyplex- and lipoplex-mediated delivery of nucleic acids: real-time visualization of transient membrane destabilization without endosomal lysis. ur Rehman Z, Hoekstra D, Zuhorn IS. ACS Nano. 2013 May 28;7(5):3767-77. doi: 10.1021/nn3049494.
- Nonviral gene delivery vectors use syndecan-dependent transport mechanisms in filopodia to reach the cell surface. ur Rehman Z, Sjollema KA, Kuipers J, Hoekstra D, Zuhorn IS. ACS Nano. 2012 Aug 28;6(8):7521-32. doi: 10.1021/nn3028562.
- Peptide-mediated blood-brain barrier transport of polymersomes. Georgieva JV, Brinkhuis RP, Stojanov K, Weijers CA, Zuilhof H, Rutjes FP, Hoekstra D, van Hest JC, Zuhorn IS. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2012 Aug 13;51(33):8339-42. doi: 10.1002/anie.201202001.
Kliinisen kemian seminaarit
Inna Sareneva
FICAN Science Webinar: De novo cholesterol biosynthesis as a metabolic vulnerability in rhabdomyosarcoma – implications for novel treatment options
This time the seminar is hosted by FICAN East and chaired by Prof. Arto Mannermaa.
These nationwide webinars provide a platform to share new scientific findings, highlight recent advances in cancer research, and foster collaboration among cancer researchers and clinicians across Finland.
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive pediatric soft-tissue cancer. Identification of RMS precursor cells and models has been a challenge due to unknown molecular mechanisms that drive the common proliferative myogenic phenotype. Our studies have revealed that the PROX1 transcription factor is essential for the growth and myogenic features of RMS, and its downregulation reverts RD cells to a phenotype resembling benign mesenchymal stem cells. Our findings demonstrate that the effects of PROX1 on RMS cell growth are mediated by FGFR, predominantly by FGFR1 and FGFR4, which were found to compensate for each other. Our findings place PROX1 as a major mediator of RMS characteristics and development and suggests that pan-FGFR inhibitors provide a promising option for the treatment of RMS. We have also identified de novo cholesterol biosynthesis as a key metabolic vulnerability in rhabdomyosarcoma, regulated by PROX1. Cholesterol synthesis inhibition halts RMS cell proliferation and triggers ER stress-induced apoptosis, offering a promising therapeutic strategy. The findings highlight a potential therapeutic strategy for rhabdomyosarcoma by targeting de novo cholesterol biosynthesis, as statins are already widely used and well tolerated.
Relevat references from the speaker for this talk:
- Gizaw NY, Kallio P, Punger T, Gucciardo E, Haglund C, Böhling T, Lehti K, Sampo M, Alitalo K, Kivelä R. PROX1 transcription factor controls rhabdomyosarcoma growth, stemness, myogenic properties and therapeutic targets. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Dec 6;119(49):e2116220119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2116220119.
- Gizaw NY, Kolari K, Kallio P, Alitalo K, Kivelä R. Inhibiting cholesterol synthesis halts rhabdomyosarcoma growth via ER stress and cell cycle arrest. EMBO Mol Med. 2025 Dec;17(12):3586-3606. doi: 10.1038/s44321-025-00336-x.
For more information on the FICAN science webinar series, please contact Finnish Cancer Center FICAN info@fican.fi
CAMM Special seminar by Assoc Prof Marcel Den Hoed
Welcome to the Clinical and Molecular Metabolism (CAMM) Special Seminar titled “Zebrafish larvae towards target identification and precision medicine in cardiometabolic disease”.
Marcel den Hoed, PhD, is Associate Professor at Uppsala University, Sweden
Marcel den Hoed leads a research group on Molecular epidemiology and translational genomics. His research aims to identify and characterise causal genes for human disease, with a focus on cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.
Already in 2012, Marcel recognized the emerging gap between discovery of variants associated with complex cardiometabolic disease in genome-wide association studies on the one hand, and functional understanding of how causal genes drive these associations on the other hand. To overcome this pending bottle neck, he transitioned from using a genetic epidemiological approach in humans towards an experimental functional genomics approach with zebrafish model systems. Since joining Uppsala University in 2013, Marcel has built a physical infrastructure and developed and validated a series of experimental pipelines for meaningful, systematic functional characterization of the role of candidate genes in traits related to obesity, type-2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, atherosclerosis, and sudden cardiac death. Studies proposed by Marcel have been enabled by grants from Vetenskapsrådet, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, The Beijer Foundation, NIH/NIDDK, the NIH-funded Accelerating Medicines Partnership for Complex Metabolic Diseases, as well as by partners in industry. By systematically characterising the role of >100 genes using CRISPR/Cas9, automated in vivo fluorescence microscopy, and deep learning-based image analysis, Marcel and his team have recently identified 23 genes that affect diabetes traits (9 novel), 21 genes that affect early-stage atherosclerosis (8 novel), and 14 genes that affect liver fat content (8 novel). These genes are enriched for rare variant associations with the disease they were prioritized for in humans. Some findings are currently taken forward on the path towards drug development or precision medicine applications.
To date, Marcel has been awarded 17 oral presentations at international conferences – of which eight invited (one keynote) – and has given numerous invited seminar presentations globally.
Striving to make the model systems available to a larger audience for the benefit of patients, Marcel co-founded a service organisation (Veyviser A/B) in 2022, which offers tailored target validation and drug screens for common cardiometabolic diseases as a service to e.g. pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Read more: https://www.uu.se/en/department/immunology-genetics-and-pathology/research/molecular-tools-and-functional-genomics/marcel-den-hoed