Maria Valkonen

Maria Valkonen

Name: Maria Valkonen
Official title: Researcher
Tel. +35829 524 7717
E-mail: firstname.lastname(at)thl.fi

Expertise

  • Indoor microbes and health effects, epidemiology
  • Molecular techniques; qPCR, sequencing (Sanger), DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis eg. denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), Mycometer

Primary duties

  • Research
  • Laboratory methods: qPCR, DNA extraction,  sequencing, Mycometer
  • Laboratory quality

Education

  • 2008, Master of Science, Department of Environmental Science, University of Eastern Finland (University of Kuopio)
  • 2006, Bachelor of Science, Department of Environmental Science, University of Eastern Finland (University of Kuopio)

Professional background

  • 2009-, Researcher, THL
  • 2006-2008 Researcher assistant, National Institute for Public Health

Language skills

  • Finnish (native)
  • English (excellent)
  • Swedish (fair)

Current projects

  • Probiom - Towards a health promoting indoor microbiome 
  • qPCR Validation
  • PUHHO; Ilmanpuhdistimien toimivuuden testaaminen ilmanlaadun parantamisessa kosteus – ja homevauriokohteissa (Effects of air cleaners to indoor air quality in moldy buildings)

Publications and research

Scientific research articles

  • Pekkanen J, Valkonen M, Täubel M, Kärkkäinen PM, Tischer C,Zock JP, Probst-Hensch N, Forsberg B, Holm M, Janson C, Casas L, Pin I, Heinrich J, Hyvärinen A. Indoor microbiome and asthma: a case-control study within ECRHS. Submitted.
  • Jayaprakash B, Adams R, Kirjavainen P, Karvonen A, Vepsäläinen A, Valkonen M, Järvi K, Sulyok M, Pekkanen J, Hyvärinen A, Täubel M. Indoor microbiota in severely moisture damaged homes and the impact of interventions. Accepted to Microbiome. 
  • Valkonen M, Täubel M, Pekkanen J, Tischer C, Rintala H, Zock JP, Casas L, Probst-Hensch N, Forsberg B, Holm M, Janson C, Pin I, Gislason T,  Jarvis D, Heinrich J, Hyvärinen A. Microbial characteristics in homes of asthmatic and non-asthmatic adults in the ECRHS cohort. Indoor Air. 2017. doi:10.1111/ina.12427
  • Valkonen M, Wouters I M, Täubel M, Rintala H, Lenters V, Vasara R, Genuneit J, Braun-Fahrländer C, Piarroux R, von Mutius E, Heederik D, Hyvärinen A. Bacterial exposures and associations with atopy and asthma in children. 2015. PLoS One. 2015 Jun 29;10(6):e0131594. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131594.
  • Tischer C, Zock J-P, Valkonen M, Doekes G, Guerra S, Heederik D, Jarvis D, Norbäck D, Olivieri M, Sunyer J, Svanes C, Täubel M, Thiering E, Verlato G, Hyvärinen A, Heinrich J, Indoor Group of the ECRHS; Work Package 10 Group of HITEA. 2015.  Predictors of microbial agents in dust and respiratory health in the ECRHS. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 15:48  doi:10.1186/s12890-015-0042-y
  • Casas L, Tischer C, Wouters IM, Valkonen M, Gehring U, Doekes G, Torrent M, Pekkanen J, Garcia-Esteban R, Hyvärinen A, Heinrich J, Sunyer J. 2012. Endotoxin, extracellular polysaccharides, and β(1-3)-glucan concentrations in dust and their determinants in four European birth cohorts: results from the HITEA project. Indoor Air. doi: 10.1111/ina.12017.
  • Kärkkäinen P, Valkonen M, Hyvärinen A, Nevalainen A, Rintala H. 2010. Determination of bacterial load in house dust using novel qPCR methods, chemical markers and culture. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 12: 759-768.

More information online

 

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