Pauliina Damdimopoulou

I’m a senior researcher with training in biochemistry, food chemistry and cell biology, with a keen interest in the effects of chemicals on reproductive health in women. My research group is located at CLINTEC (Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology).

I obtained my PhD education in Finland. In my thesis work I studied how dietary lignans (fiber associated polyphenolic compounds) and cadmium (toxic metal) affect estrogen signalling. I carried out my first postdoc in a small biotech company in Paris developing a transgenic fish model for the detection of androgenic activity of chemicals. For my second postdoc I moved my focus from chemicals to early development and spent three years studying development of pre-implantation embryos and maturation of ovarian follicles at Karolinska Institutet.

I’m interested in the impact of pharmaceuticals and environmental chemicals on fertility in women with a special focus on the ovary. Research in my group can be divided under three main topics:

1) Identification of chemicals and their mixtures that associate to decreased fertility in women living in Sweden

2) Detailed cellular and molecular characterization of human ovaries

3) Identification of mechanisms by which chemicals adversely affect ovaries and development of better test systems for reproductive toxicity