Prof Dr Sara Wickström is a member of the International Faculty of the University of Cologne within the Key Profile Area I: Aging-associated Diseases since April 15, 2021. University Rector Prof Dr Dr h c Axel Freimuth has followed the nomination by the Scientific Coordinator of CECAD, Prof Dr Carien Niessen. Sara Wickström's outstanding expertise combines the fields of stem cell biology, mechanobiology as well as epigenetics and thus clearly and specifically enriches the Cologne Aging Campus.
Sara Wickström was already an active member of the Cologne research community as a Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging until she moved to the University of Helsinki in 2018. She uses a highly interdisciplinary approach to examine how epithelial tissues form and renew in the human body. Her work addresses questions relevant to human health using a combination of physical, engineering and biological methods. She focuses primarily on the epidermis of the skin and uses this system to investigate how self-renewal is regulated and how it becomes disrupted during aging and in diseases such as cancer. Her focus on medically relevant topics was also evident in her recently published study on the relationship between hair loss, metabolism, and stem cell function in hair follicles (https://www.cecad.uni-koeln.de/about/news/article/fine-tuning-stem-cell-metabolism-prevents-hair-loss/).
Sara Wickström's outstanding scientific achievements were honored in 2020 with a lifetime membership in the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
Further information on Sara Wickström's current research projects at the University of Helsinki can be found at the following link:
www2.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/stem-cells-and-tissue-architecture/research