Riikka Ihalin is a Finnish biochemist and researcher specializing in oral microbiology, bacterial biofilms, molecular microbiology, and interkingdom signalling. Her research has focused particularly on the oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and its interactions with host cells, cytokines, and inflammatory processes.
Education
Ihalin studied at the University of Turku, completing a Master of Science in the Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry from 1992 to 1997. She continued at the same university in the Department of Cariology within the Faculty of Medicine, completing a Doctor of Philosophy between 1997 and 2003. Her doctoral dissertation, Horseradish Peroxidase–Iodide System; A Potential Antibacterial Agent Against Periodontal Pathogens in Human Saliva, examined antibacterial mechanisms relevant to periodontal pathogens.
Career
Ihalin began her academic career at the University of Turku, where she served as an acting assistant professor at the Institute of Dentistry in 2003. From 2004 to 2006 she worked as postdoctoral staff in the Division of Oral Microbiology at Umeå University in Sweden. She returned to the University of Turku as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biochemistry from 2007 to 2008 and became a principal investigator in the department in 2009. Her research has examined oral biofilms, periodontitis-associated bacteria, bacterial virulence, host–microbe interactions, cytokine binding, natural competence, and molecular mechanisms of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. She is a docent at the University of Turku's Department of Life Technologies and continues to contribute to research and supervision in molecular and oral microbiology.
Achievements
Established a research program on oral biofilms and the molecular interactions of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans with host cells and inflammatory mediators.
Supervised doctoral research on pathogen–host crosstalk and biofilm formation in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.
Works
doctoral dissertation
Horseradish Peroxidase–Iodide System; A Potential Antibacterial Agent Against Periodontal Pathogens in Human Saliva
(Doctoral dissertation completed at the University of Turku.)
(Study of the inflammatory and apoptotic effects of a bact...)
2018
Interactions between the Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans secretin HofQ and host cytokines indicate a link between natural competence and interleukin-8 uptake
(Co-authored study of bacterial competence mechanisms, hos...)
(Engineering thesis on the design of load-bearing structur...)
2022
Membership
Ihalin has participated in professional and academic service through the Doctoral Programme in Molecular Life Sciences at the University of Turku, the Advisory Board of Cultures magazine, Finland's Publication Forum, and the editorial board of the journal Anaerobe. She has also organized microbiology events associated with the American Society for Microbiology.
Board member.
Doctoral Programme in Molecular Life Sciences, University of Turku
,
Finland
September, 2013 - August, 2017
Member of the advisory board.
Cultures magazine, American Society for Microbiology
,
United States
December, 2015 - December, 2017
Panel member for Biosciences II.
Publication Forum
,
Finland
January, 2018 - December, 2021
Editorial board member.
Anaerobe
,
Netherlands
April, 2021 - December, 2021
Connections
Ihalin has supervised doctoral research in oral microbiology at the University of Turku, including work on pathogen–host crosstalk and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans biofilms. She has collaborated with researchers at the University of Turku, Umeå University, the University of Washington, and other Finnish and international institutions.
Collegue :
Annamari Paino
Supervised her doctoral research on pathogen–host crosstalk and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans as a biofilm-forming model organism at the University of Turku.
References
University of Turku researcher profile
Documents Ihalin's position as docent and PhD, contact address, research areas in oral microbiology, biofilms, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, interkingdom signalling, and molecular microbiology, together with selected publications.
