Laura Kakkola
Adjunct Professor, Bioturvapäällikkö/Biosafety Officer
laura.kakkola@utu.fi Kiinamyllynkatu 10 Turku ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9271-4059 |
virology; immunology; infection; zoonoses; biosafety
I am a researcher with the cell biologist's background interested in intra-cellular events on infection, immunological responses (innate and adaptive), effect of host genetics in infectious diseases, and viruses' counteractions on these - including emerging pathogens, virus surveillance and diagnostics. I act as a Biosafety Officer at the Institute of Biomedicine and my responsibilities are to coordinate, supervise and educate laboratory work with infectious pathogens (viruses and bacteria). I am a Laboratory Manager in the Research Center Infections and Immunity, I teach on university courses, supervise MSc and PhD students, and conduct independent research.
My research interests are on virus-host interactions, how viruses interfere with immune responses, and could these events be utilized in vaccine, antiviral drug or diagnostic test development. At the moment I am working with coronaviruses, influenza viruses, filoviruses and flaviviruses.
I have taken the course on Medical pedagogics. I am co-supervising MSc and PhD students, and am a member of thesis committees for PhD students. I have given lectures and taught on laboratory courses at the university level.
- Nucleocapsid protein enhances spike- and RBD-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (2026)
- BMC Infectious Diseases
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Glucose Metabolism and Innate Immune Responses in Influenza Virus Infection: Mechanistic Insights and Clinical Perspectives (2025)
- Cells
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - HCoV-229E does not trigger early interferon gene expression and evades IFN signaling in human A549 lung epithelial cells (2025)
- Microbiology spectrum
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus in Finland in 2021–2023 – Genetic diversity of the viruses and infection kinetics in human dendritic cells (2025)
- Emerging microbes & infections
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Influenza A(H5N8) vaccine induces humoral and cell-mediated immunity against highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) viruses in at-risk individuals (2025)
- Nature Microbiology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Long-term neutralization capacity of vaccine and breakthrough infection induced SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies against omicron subvariants BA.2, XBB.1.5, and JN.1 (2025)
- Vaccine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Tick-Borne Viruses in Finland: Public Health Risks, Interventions and Research Insights (2025)
- Veterinary Medicine and Science
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - High Glucose Increases Lactate and Induces the Transforming Growth Factor Beta-Smad 1/5 Atherogenic Pathway in Primary Human Macrophages (2024)
- Biomedicines
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Long-term COVID-19 vaccine- and Omicron infection-induced humoral and cell-mediated immunity (2024)
- Frontiers in immunology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Mikrobien aiheuttamat epidemiat ja pandemiat - mikrobiologian laboratorioiden varautuminen (2024)
- Infektioidentorjunta
(D1 Article in a professional journal)
- Immunologinen leimautuminen01.01.2026 - 31.12.2026
- Institute of Biomedicine
- TYS_Zikaviruksen tutkimus01.01.2026 - 31.12.2026
- Institute of Biomedicine
- CrossBar_Kakkola01.09.2021 - 31.08.2025
- Institute of Biomedicine



