Biography

Dr. Hanna Taipaleenmäki is a group leader in the Molecular Skeletal Biology Laboratory (MSB-Lab) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany. During her PhD studies at the University of Turku, Finland, and at the Endocrine Research Unit, Odense University Hospital, Denmark, she developed a strong interest in post-transcriptional regulation of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation by non-coding RNAs.

During her post-doctoral training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA, and at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, she further elucidated the contribution of microRNAs in pathological bone remodeling with specific focus on cancer-induced bone disease.

Currently her research group is investigating the role of osteoblasts in breast cancer-induced metastatic bone disease. Hanna is an active member of scientific societies including the ECTS and the ASBMR and her work has been awarded several awards, fellowships and grants.

List of 5 Best Publications

• Sclerostin inhibition alleviates breast cancer-induced bone metastases and muscle weakness.Hesse E, Schröder S, Brandt D, Pamperin J, Saito H, Taipaleenmäki H. JCI Insight. 2019 Apr 9;5.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30965315
• TG-interacting factor 1 (Tgif1)-deficiency attenuates bone remodeling and blunts the anabolic response to parathyroid hormone.Saito H, Gasser A, Bolamperti S, Maeda M, Matthies L, Jähn K, Long CL, Schlüter H, Kwiatkowski M, Saini V, Pajevic PD, Bellido T, van Wijnen AJ, Mohammad KS, Guise TA, Taipaleenmäki H*, Hesse E*. Nat Commun. 2019 Mar 22;10(1):1354.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30902975
• Targeting of Runx2 by miR-135 and miR-203 Impairs Progression of Breast Cancer and Metastatic Bone Disease.Taipaleenmäki H, Browne G, Akech J, Zustin J, van Wijnen AJ, Stein JL, Hesse E, Stein GS, Lian JB. Cancer Res. 2015 Apr 1;75(7):1433-44.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25634212
• MicroRNA-138 regulates osteogenic differentiation of human stromal (mesenchymal) stem cells in vivo.Eskildsen T*, Taipaleenmäki H*, Stenvang J, Abdallah BM, Ditzel N, Nossent AY, Bak M, Kauppinen S, Kassem M. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 12;108(15):6139-44.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21444814
• Targeting the Metastatic Bone Microenvironment by MicroRNAs.Haider MT, Taipaleenmäki H. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2018 Apr 27;9:202. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29780354

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES AT WORK

- Areas Of Expertise: Histomorphometry, In Vivo Models, Molecular Biology, Muscle, Osteoporosis, Translational Medicine, and Bone and Cancer

- Favorite Cell: Osteoblast

- Favorite Protein: Runx2

- Best technical skill: In vivo methods

- Best knowledge: MicroRNAs in bone physiology and pathology

- Hated technique: Bacteria work

- Research goal: To better understand the malignant cross-talk between the bone cells and cancer cells in breast cancer metastasis

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PERSONAL STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES

- Favorite dish: Fish

- Favorite place to live: Home

- Best sport skill: Running

- Worst performance: Singing

- Free time activity: Outdoor sports

- Favorite quote: Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference –Winston Churchill