Research Group

Helka serves as a Principal Investigator and Group Leader of the iCell research group. She has a background in proteomics, immunodeficiencies, and immune cell therapies. Her current mission is to translate innovative research into clinically applicable therapies through the Advanced Cell Therapy Centre at FRCBS. Her work focuses on immune cell therapies, including CAR-T and CAR-NK approaches, as well as the development of advanced genetic modification strategies and functional validation methods to support therapeutic efficacy.

Principal Investigator Mikko is a clinical hematologist and head of section at CAR‑T cell therapy ward at HUS. Within iCell, his work focuses on the clinical development and real-world implementation of novel cell therapies (including CAR-T cells) in hematological malignancies. His responsibilities include clinical trial protocol design, regulatory processes, and patient treatment. He contributes to bridging preclinical innovations with early-phase clinical trials in close collaboration with GMP manufacturing and translational research teams.

Farhana is an experienced scientist specializing in translational cancer biology and immune-cell–based systems. Her work focuses on developing functional models, including engineered immune cells and 3D tumor platforms, to study tumor–immune interactions, mechanism-of-action, and therapeutic response. She works with primary cancer samples and applies gene delivery and gene modulation approaches to investigate target function. She is interested in collaborative efforts that translate biological insights into innovative cancer therapies.

Mira has worked in the field of NK and T cell–based immunotherapies since 2017, developing both the cells themselves and the feeder systems that support their growth. She also designs genetic modifications in silico, from CAR receptors to next generation engineering strategies, helping to create immune cells that are more precise, potent, and resilient.

Emmi is a PhD researcher with expertise in NK cell engineering and optimization of gene delivery into primary NK cells, particularly lentiviral transduction. Her work focuses on developing strategies to improve CAR-NK cell persistence and functional longevity. She has strong experience in flow cytometric applications, functional cytotoxicity assays, and large-scale CAR-NK expansion. Emmi is passionate about advocating open, reproducible, and ethical research.

Laurens works on the genetic engineering of (CAR-) NK cells using base editing to enhance their function for clinical applications. His role includes identifying and prioritizing genetic targets for base editing and experimentally validating their impact on NK cell performance. He focuses on translating these findings into strategies that support the development of future clinical cell therapy products.

Lotta is a Laboratory Engineer who supports the research group through diverse laboratory responsibilities. She has specialized expertise in flow cytometry (Amnis) and chromatography, contributing to both experimental work and the overall functioning of the lab.

Erja holds a PhD and is a Docent (Associate Professor) in cell biology at the University of Helsinki. She works as a Development Manager at the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service’s Advanced Cell Therapy Centre, focusing on the clinical translation of advanced therapies. Her expertise spans NK cell biology, ATMP development, and GMP-compliant manufacturing, with extensive experience in translating cell therapies into clinical applications. She contributes to regulatory strategy and implementation, supporting ATMP development from preclinical research to clinical application. With over 25 years of experience in cell biology research and a strong academic background, she acts as a bridge between research and clinical-grade cell therapy development.

Senior scientist Matti is a specialist in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. He has a long-standing interest in cell therapies, including CAR NK and CAR T cells.