Research Group
Inspired by the retina as a window into the central nervous system, LRL focuses on pharmacology, drug repurposing, and plasticity-based strategies to advance therapies for unmet medical needs. While our broader field is neurodegeneration, our primary focus is retinal degeneration.
Principal Investigator
Henri Leinonen
Research Council of Finland Fellow, Adjunct Professor (Neuropharmacology)
School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland
Henri Leinonen is a Principal Investigator and Group Leader at the School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland (UEF). He trained in pharmacy (MSc) and completed doctoral research in neurobiology at UEF, followed by postdoctoral training at the Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, and the Center for Translational Vision Research at the University of California, Irvine.
His research group, established in 2022, integrates retinal pharmacology, drug repurposing, and plasticity-based approaches to counter retinal degeneration and retinal cell stress, with the goal of advancing therapies to address unmet medical needs. His work has been recognized with several competitive distinctions, including an Academy of Finland Fellowship, the FEBS Excellence Award, and the Best Doctoral Thesis of the Year Award at the UEF Faculty of Health Sciences.
He serves on the International Scientific Committee of the International Center for Translational Eye Research (ICTER) at the Polish Academy of Sciences and contributes broadly to the academic community through doctoral committee service, external evaluation of dissertations and research funding applications, and participation in academic evaluation processes in Finland and internationally.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Elina
Mäkinen
MSc (Cell and Molecular Biology)
Nicholas
Bariesheff
PhD (Neuroscience)
Doctoral Researchers
Anna
Kalatanova
D.V.M.
Anthi-Styliani
Makiou
MSc (toxicology)
Elias
Roihuvuo
M. Pharm., MSc.
Umair
Seemab
MSc (bioinformatics)
Katri
Vainionpää
M. Pharm.
Long-Term Grant Researchers, Visiting Researchers and Trainees
Eerik
Lappalainen
BSc (Biomedicine), part-time researcher
Technicians
Saara Haapalainen
Laboratory Technician (part-time)
Satu
Marttila
Laboratory Technician (departmental)
Alumni (role at LRL)
Ahmed
Montaser
PhD (postdoc)
LinkedIn
Santhana
Gopalakrishan
Sireesha
Killi
M. Toxicology
(MSc thesis student) LinkedIn
Elina
Heino
M. Pharm.
(MSc thesis student)
LinkedIn
Laura
Väkevä
M. Pharm.
(MSc thesis student) LinkedIn
Ida
Pavela
M. Pharm.
(MSc thesis student) LinkedIn