April 2025!
Amir Ata Saei, Assistant professor
Amir holds a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences degree and received his PhD in Proteomics and Bioinformatics working with Prof. Roman A. Zubarev at Karolinska Institutet in 2019. He pioneered several mass spectrometry-based chemical proteomics approaches for drug/mechanism deconvolution for small molecules. He then worked as a Swedish Research Council postdoctoral fellow, with Prof. Steven P. Gygi’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School, applying chemical proteomics to study metabolism. In 2022, he joined Prof. Michael N. Hall’s laboratory at Biozentrum, to identify and characterize the targets and functions of polyamines. Receiving an Ambizione Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation in 2023, he continued as a PI at Biozentrum. He received a faculty-funded assistant professorship position from Karolinska Institutet and is currently a group leader at the Center for Translational Microbiome Research at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet. Amir has supervised 25 students at BSc. to Ph.D. levels and was the supervisor for 8 MSc. theses since 2014.
Aleksandra Wielento, PostDoc
I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biochemistry from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, where I studied the effects of cell metabolism on glioblastoma invasiveness. After that, I started my doctoral studies and joined Prof. Jan Potempa’s lab at the Department of Microbiology at Jagiellonian University, obtaining a doctoral degree in Biological sciences in December 2023. During my doctoral studies, I investigated a novel mechanism of manipulation of host immune responses by oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis with special focus on the influence of its two virulence factors: PPAD (peptidyl arginine deiminase) and fimbriae on P. gingivalis virulence, especially in the context of activation of TLR2-dependent signaling inside host cells. For me, host-pathogen interactions are very fascinating and complex phenomena with many aspects that are still unexplored. That is why as a postdoctoral fellow I will combine my cell microbiology background with my previous experience in metabolism to study how gut microbiome, especially microbial metabolites, promote colon cancer.
Xueyao Wang, Ph.D. student
I completed my MD with a focus on pediatric diseases. After years of clinical practice, as a PhD student in bioinformatics, now I am excited to explore how data-driven approaches can help our understanding and treatment of disease. My research interest is integrating multi-omics data, applying system biology and advanced machine learning approaches to deconstruct the complex interactions within host cells at a molecular level, to find new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for metabolic disease.
Hanna Hjärpsgård, Ph.D. student
I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Bioengineering from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. During my Master’s thesis at Erasmus MC, where I focused on prostate cancer, I developed a strong interest in pursuing a PhD in cancer research. Currently, my research focuses on investigating the metabolism of colon cancer. Specifically, I aim to explore how certain metabolites promote cancer growth by interacting with oncogenic proteins, with the goal of uncovering the mechanisms behind their accumulation in tumors. Using advanced chemical proteomics, I seek to identify the oncogenic targets of these metabolites and clarify their roles in driving colon cancer progression.
Hezheng Lyu, Ph.D. student (co-supervisor)
Bohdana Sokolova, Ph.D. student (co-supervisor)
Zhaowei Meng, Ph.D. student (co-supervisor)
Marcel Esen, Visiting BSc. student
I am a visiting student from the University of Heidelberg and in the Saei Lab, I am studying host-microbiota interactions in colorectal cancer for my bachelor’s thesis.
Dimitrios-Marinos Karadedos, Visiting MSc. student
I am an Erasmus+ Trainee with a background in molecular biology, genetics, and bioinformatics. I earned both my BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics and my MSc in Translational Research in Biomedicine from Democritus University of Thrace in Greece. During my Master’s thesis, I developed a keen interest in host-microbiome interactions. I am investigating how oral pathogens interact with colorectal cancer.
Alumni
Xenia Tzavara, Visiting BSc. student (Amgen Scholar)
Xenia is a student at the University Collage London.
SaeiLab 