Team

Meet our Team

Professor Minna Nyström (prev. Nyström-Lahti), PhD

FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Minna is the leading inventor of DiagMMR with more than 25 years of experience in the field of Lynch syndrome research and has had an active role in both the identification of the LS related genes and mutations as well as the bettering of LS recognition with more than 60 scientific publications in the field. Minna is also an active member of the International Society for Gastrointestinal Hereditary Tumours, InSiGHT.

Learn more about Minna.

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Niklas Lahti, MSc

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Niklas is responsible for operational and financial management, investor relations, and shareholder management. He is a corporate finance professional with a background in M&A and capital restructurings. Niklas joined LSCD in 2017 as the CFO and was appointed as CEO in 2022.

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Minttu Kansikas, PhD

CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER

Minttu has worked on Lynch syndrome research for over 10 years and is a co-inventor of DiagMMR. Her doctoral thesis, “Recognizing Lynch syndrome by DNA mismatch repair deficiency” focused on the functional detection of reduced mismatch repair and the pathogenicity assessment of found LS variants. She is responsible for the laboratory operations, scientific research and product development at LS CancerDiag.

Learn more about Minttu.

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Philippe Arnez, MSc

HEAD OF CULTURE & COMMUNICATION

Philippe brings a wealth of experience from international corporate roles in major blue-chip companies in Europe and the Americas. At LS CancerDiag he is responsible for organizational development, company culture, employee engagement, internal & external communications.

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Jaana Putula, PhD

QUALITY MANAGER

Jaana is responsible for the quality management at LS CancerDiag, the regulatory compliancy of DiagMMR and she is also involved in assisting in all steps of DiagMMR testing and R&D. She studied cell communication in her PhD and has vast experience in cell culture and other laboratory processes that support her ability to ensure the meticulous handling of patient samples from sampling to testing through her unique quality-oriented perspective.

Learn more about Jaana.

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Maria Jäntti, PhD

SENIOR R&D SPECIALIST

Maria did her PhD thesis on orexin receptor signaling and has since worked in different projects gaining experience in, for example, cellular disease models. At LS CancerDiag she participates in and leads R&D projects, with emphasis on the DiagMMR performance and the development of DiagMMR testing conditions.

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Tea Kuivala, MSc

R&D SPECIALIST

Tea works closely with MMR proteins and their functional DiagMMR testing. She has broad methodological expertise from sample culturing to testing and actively participates in various R&D projects. In her Master’s thesis she investigated the ability to quantify DiagMMR based DNA repair using different techniques. Before joining LS CancerDiag, she investigated how red and processed meat play a part in increasing the risk of colorectal cancer.

Learn more about Tea.

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Mikael Kyriacou, MSc

R&D SPECIALIST

Mikael focuses on cell culture and protein-based laboratory functions, while participating in various R&D projects. Prior to joining the team, he studied the effects of decreased MLH1 expression on gene expression and cellular functions.

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Anu Harju

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

Anu has extensive and versatile laboratory work experience, particularly in cell culture and molecular techniques. She supports the daily laboratory operations at LS CancerDiag and participates in DiagMMR sample handling.

Learn more about Anu.

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Uupa Tassberg

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

Uupa is an experienced allrounder in the laboratory field. She is responsible for LS CancerDiag’s equipment maintenance and sterilization and its further development. Uupa also enjoys assisting other laboratory processes and frequently participates in cell culture and its supportive functions.

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Tuija Vanhatalo

Research Nurse

Tuija is an integral part of our sample collection working from the Jorvi hospital in Espoo. She has a long and diverse background in nursing and currently works as a research nurse in cancer research projects. Her experience and people skills are highly appreciated in recruiting participants, taking samples and organizing sample operations.

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Maria Korkala, BHM & BBA

ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST

Maria has several years of experience working in administration in international companies. She is responsible for LS CancerDiag’s office administration and related functions and supports the leadership team in various projects.

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Invest today!

LS CancerDiag has launched a funding round in collaboration with Springvest

The company aims to raise €5.4M in capital to support the expansion into the United States and introduce DiagMMR® to the largest health care market in the world.