OUR TEAM

Reet Kurg

Team Leader

Reet Kurg received PhD in 2000 from University of Tartu and had additional training in USA (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas) and Sweden (Stockholm University). Main expertise is biochemistry, molecular biology and molecular engineering. Head of the Core Facility for Cell Technologies, Professor of Molecular Biomedicine.

Kristiina Kurg

PhD student

Kristiina Kurg graduated 2017 as a MD from University of Tartu, finished her residency in Laboratory medicine in 2022. From 2020 she is a PhD student in our group with a focus on MAGEA proteins and melanoma patients. Has been involved in development of diagnostic CE IVD kits in Icosagen. In her spare time she enjoys filming science experiments.

Liina Küttis

MSc student

Liina is currently working in our group after doing her Bachelors at TÜMRI (Institute of Molecular and cell biology).

Mihai-Alin Toma

MSc student

Mihai is a 2nd year Masters student doing his Erasmus exchange in our group from September to November 2024.

Adiya Raimkul

BSc student

Adiya is currently doing her Bachelors in our group

Margit Mutso

Research Fellow

Margit Mutso received PhD in biotechnology in 2016 (University of Tartu), had additional training in UK (Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow) and post-doc in the Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Australia. She has been part of vaccine development platforms of Chikungunya and Zika virus.

Baiba Brumele

PhD student

Baiba Brumele received BSc in Latvia (Latvijas Universitate) in 2018 and MSc at University of Tartu in 2021. She started her PhD program in our group in September 2021 with a focus on RNA methyltransferases. NB! Check out her introduction video via Youtube link!

Aleksandra Lupp

MSc student

Alexandra did her BSc in our group and is now doing her MSc here as well.

Rando Kalbus

BSc

Rando is currently doing his Bachelors in our group

Eve Toomsoo

Laboratory technician

Eve Toomsoo is responsible for confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, DNA and protein purification, data and material storage.

Mihkel Suija

PhD student

Mihkel Suija finished his MSc in our group and he started his PhD program in our group in September 2024 with a focus on RNA methyltransferases

Kerstin Rõuk

MSc student

Kerstin is a 1st year MSc student doing her masters in our group.

Marleen Tilga

BSc student

Marleen is currently doing her Bachelors in our group

ALUMNI

Piia Kivipõld

PhD

Piia Kivipõld (Uusen) did her PhD about Studies on the role of papillomavirus E2 proteins in virus DNA replication from 2007 to 2016. She currently works as a product manager at NOVA.

Anneli Samel

PhD

Anneli defended her PhD about the topic 'Unveiling the characteristics of cancer-testis antigen MAGEA10' in February 2024. She currently works in Icosagen. NB! Check out her introduction video via Youtube link!

Kadri Õunap

PhD

Kadri Õunap did her PhD on the topic of The Williams-Beuren syndrome chromosome region protein WBSCR22 is a ribosome biogenesis factor from 2010 to 2017. She currently works at the Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy as a senior scientist.

Olavi Reinsalu

PhD

Olavi Reinsalu received MSci (gene technology) in 2015 from the University of Tartu. After that he worked for three years in the Competence Centre on Health Technologies (Tartu, Estonia). He defended his PhD in 2022 in our group. He now works with prof.Zadin in the EV field. NB! Check out his introduction video via the Youtube link!