Current Lab Members

After studying material science, I obtained a PhD from ETH Zurich where I developed bioanalytical assays for microarray applications. During my postdoc at Chalmers University in Gothenburg, which was originally aimed at developing assays for virus detection, I realized that I was fascinated by fundamental research related to viral infection mechanisms. Thus, I shifted from engineering towards biophysics and virology, with a focus on studying virus-membrane interactions. After a short postdoc at Institut Curie in Paris, I became assistant professor in biological physics at Chalmers in 2013 where I pursued this interest. Since 2018, I am part of the Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine in Umeå and a group leader at the section of Virology.
ORCID
I joined Marta’s group in January 2020. With master degree in Physics from the University of Punjab, I received PhD degree in Statistical and Biological Physics from SISSA with focus on developing biosensors and nanolithography methods. Following my first postdoc fellowship in Duwez group at University of Liege in basic research of advanced biosensors, I then joined Richter Lab at CIC biomaGUNE and University of Leeds for investigating the dynamics of polysaccharide and protein complexes using biophysical methods. My current focus is on viruses-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) interactions for elucidating the role of GAGs in virus entry of the cell using single particle tracking and single molecule force spectroscopy.
ORCID
I studied Preventative Veterinary at Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China. In 2015, I moved to Stockholm Sweden for my PhD studies at the Karolinska Institutet, within the subject of Infection Biology. My PhD studies focus on the modulations of cytoplasmic RNA granules and the PI3K/AKT pathway during Old World Alphavirus infection. I defended my PhD thesis in May and joined Marta’s group in September 2019. I am currently investigating the roles of a host protein apolipoprotein E during Herpes Simplex Virus 1 infection.
ORCID
My PhD in analytical chemistry from Texas A&M University focused on Supported Lipid Bilayer (SLB) technology for biosensor and separations applications. During my PhD I realized that SLB technology needed to evolve. Since then, I have focused on how best to create SLBs from isolated plasma membrane material (nSLBs) and their applications. During my first postdoc in biophysics at Chalmers University (Gothenburg) I developed methods to create and characterize nSLBs which retained transmembrane protein mobility and enzymatic activity. Afterwards, at Umeå University, Dept. of Integrative Medical Biology, I employed nSLBs to study Caveolae-associated membrane remodelling. Currently, I am working in Marta’s group using nSLBs to investigate virus-membrane interactions.
ORCID
I joined Marta’s group in May 2020. I studied Engineering Physics at the Polytechnic University of Milan, focusing on Nanotechnology and Nanofabrication. For my PhD, I moved to University College London. There, I designed and built a multifunctional microscopy setup combining optical tweezers and fluorescence light-sheet microscopy for the study of the physical properties of membrane receptors, in particular the HIV-1-receptor CD4. I’m currently studying molecular interactions involved in the early stages of virus entry.
ORCID
I studied Biotechnology at Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology at the University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, where I continued with PhD studies in the field of Virology. My research focused on analysis of immune evasion mechanisms of bovine herpesvirus 1. The emergence of COVID-19 epidemic encouraged me to take interest in RNA viruses. During my first Postdoc I have been working on determining the anti-coronavirus potential of compounds that were designed to block N-glycosylation maturation of viral proteins. I joined Marta’s group in October 2022. I am currently investigating the interaction of coronaviruses and filoviruses with the cell surface.
ORCID

 

Alumni

  • Chloé Jacquet, 2020-2024, Shared postdoc with with Anne-Marie Fors Connolly
  • Sarah Verbeek, 2022-2024, Postdoc, Investigating the mechanics of cells during viral infection using force spectroscopy
  • Konrad Thorsteinsson, 2018-2023, PhD Student, Probing and elucidating the dynamics of virus-membrane interaction via plasma membrane mimics: became a project manager at the Innovation Center Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
  • Kerstin Seier, 2020-2023, Postdoc, Establishing virus pseudotype systems to study the interaction between Ebolavirus and glycosaminogylcans; became a member of the scientific management team at ZALF, Berlin area, Germany
  • Yara Abidine, 2018-2021, Postdoc, Glycosaminoglycan-mediated diffusion of herpes simplex virus at the cell surface; founding a start-up
  • Karin Norling, 2015-2020, PhD Student, Liposomes for mucosal vaccine delivery- Physicochemical characterization and biological application; continued as Postdoc at Chalmers
  • Nadia Peerboom, 2014-2018, PhD Student, Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of herpes simplex virus attachment and release using cell membrane mimics; became a product manager at cellink, Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Quentin Lubart, 2017-2018, Postdoc, A nanofluidic device for the fluorescence-based study of small biological vesicles; continued as Postdoc at Chalmers
  • Susanne Heider, 2016, Postdoc, A nanofluidic device for the fluorescence-based study of small biological vesicles
Undergraduates
  • Ludvig Florman, 2024, Bachelor in Biomedicine, Umeå University, Bachelor Thesis, Production of SARS-CoV-2 chimeric Spike for the identification of the heparan sulfate binding domain
  • Tove Carlsson, 2024, Bachelor in Biomedicine, Umeå University, Bachelor Thesis, Developing a biomimetic platform to investigate phage-bacteria docking
  • Ramneek Singh, 2024, Masters in Molecular Biology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (India), Project in Molecular Biology, The role of cell-surface carbohydrates in modulating binding of adenovirus 37 and 40.
  • Sofie Bechaouch, 2024, Bachelor in Biology and Medical Laboratory Research, Hanze Hogeschool (University of Applied Sciences), Groningen, the Netherland, Bachelor Thesis, Investigating the mechanism of respiratory syncytial virus transmission mediated by cell sloughing
  • Laura Salinas Ruiz-Castillo, 2024, Bachelor in Biology, University of Alcalà, Alcalà de Henares, Spain, Bachelor Thesis, Single Particle Tracking of Coronavirus virions on live cells
  • Karolina Todorska, 2023, Master in Biomedicine, Projects in Biomedicine, 15 ECTS, Probing the mechanical stability of genetically modified adenovirus by atomic force microscopy
  • Sophie Battedou, 2023, Chimie ParisTech (École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris), France, 2nd year internship, Characterization of molecular interactions between viruses and cell surface glycosaminoglycans
  • Sofie Bechaouch, 2023, BSc Biology and Medical Laboratory Research, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands, Project in Molecular Biology, 3rd year internship, Generation of Pseudotypes decorated with Marburg Virus glycoprotein
  • Aron Sasu, 2023, Bachelor in Biomedicine, Umeå University, Bachelor Thesis, Entry behavior of different species of Ebolavirus
  • Marika Landbring, 2021-2023, Biomedical student, Umeå University, Forskaraspirant, Virus morphology changes during virus infection
  • Damien Avinens, 2022, Microbiology, University of Montpellier, France, Bachelor Internship, Studying the effect of Apolipoprotein-E on the binding kinetics of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 to the plasma membrane using native supported lipid bilayers
  • Julius von Wirén, 2022, Master program “Molecular Lifesciences: Microbiology, Biotechnology and Biochemistry”, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Internship, Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Variant Attachment
  • Lauriane Scherrer, 2021, Biotechnology, Paris Sciences and Letters University and National Superior School of Chemistry, France, Masters Internship, Comparative study of the affinity between heparan sulfate and the spike protein of various coronaviruses
  • Simon Holmskär, 2021, Life Science Programm, Umeå University, Bachelor Thesis, The roles of Apolipoprotein E during the entry of herpes simplex virus 1 to green monkey kidney cells
  • Marcel Zimmeck, 2021, Molecular Life Sciences, University of Hamburg, Germany, Masters Internship, Influence of the Mucin-like Domain of the Marburg Virus Glycoprotein on Virus-Glycosaminoglycan Interactions
  • Erik Birring, 2020, Medical Student, Umeå University, Forskaraspirant, QCM-D to test viral infection
  • Gabriel Fina, 2020, Biotechnology, Paris Sciences and Letters University and National Superior School of Chemistry, France, Masters Internship, Virus-on-droplets for gene delivery and for fundamental biology applications
  • Olof Forman, 2020, Medical Programm, Umeå University, Master Thesis, Single vesicle assays to study caveolae-associated proteins
  • Filip Siska, 2020, Medical Programm, Masaryk University, Czech Republic, Master Thesis, Evaluation of the Apolipoprotein E role during Herpes Simplex Virus 1 infection by plaque assay
  • Anna Tykheieva, 2019, Biomedicinsk Analytikerprogrammet, Umeå University, Bachelor Thesis, FRET-baserad analys för kvantifiering av syntetiska och nativa lipidvesiklar
  • Ida Brolin, 2019, Biomedicinsk Analytikerprogrammet, Umeå University, Bachelor Thesis, Inverkan av apolipoprotein E4 vid HSV-1 infektion av GMK- och SH-SY5Y-celler 
  • Oskar Kohl, 2019, Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Bachelor Thesis, Single-virus force measurements using optical tweezers: optimizing the method for the binding of HSV-1 to polystyrene beads 
  • Oskar Wallén, 2019, Medical Programm, Umeå University, Master Thesis, The role of cell surface glycosaminoglycans in mediating attachment, diffusion and entry of herpes simplex virus-1: A single particle tracking study on Chinese Hamster Ovary cells
  • Konrad Thorsteinsson, 2018, Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Master Thesis, A FRET based assay for the quantification of synthetic and native lipid vesicles
Chalmers
  • Evelyn Röder, 2016, Physics, Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany, Master Thesis, Probing the Binding Behavior of Negative Curvature Sensing Proteins with a Nanoplasmonic Sensor
  • Eneas Schmidt, 2016, Biotechnology, Chalmers University of Technology, Master Thesis, Study of the interaction between HSV-1 and a native-like supported lipid bilayer with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy
  • Remo Friedrich, 2015, Mechanical Engineering , ETH Zurich, Switzerland, Master Thesis, A nanofluidic device for single lipid vesicle analysis
  • Per Börjesson, 2016, Biomedical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Master Thesis, Characterization of Lipopolysaccharide-containing supported lipid bilayers- A sensing platform mimicking bacterial surfaces
  • Elin Swanberg, 2016, Biotechnology, Chalmers University of Technology, Master Thesis, Supported lipid bilayers derived from antigen presenting cells – a surface-based approach to study the cell-cell interactions of the immune system
  • David Saletti, 2015, Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Master Thesis, The role of M1 matrix protein in influenza C virus budding – An in vitro study of M1 protein-membrane interactions using GUVs
  • Birger Eklund, 2015, Biomedical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Master Thesis, Assembly and disassembly of the influenza C matrix protein layer on a lipid membrane
  • Karin Norling, 2014, Biotechnology, Chalmers University of Technology, Master Thesis, Towards an Assay for Liposome-based Vaccine Uptake by Dendritic Cells Using TIRF Microscopy and Single Particle Tracking