Detail

Keywords

Apolipoprotein B-100; Blood Pressure; Endocytosis; Epithelial Cells; Immunohistochemistry; Iron; Methylmercury Compounds; Microscopy; Placenta; Receptor, Melatonin, MT1; Receptor, Melatonin, MT2; Receptors, IgG; Transcytosis

Research group(s)

• Pathophysiology of the Placenta
  Research Area: I study uptake, traffic and effect of maternal macromolecules at the materno-fetal interface (placenta). I contribute to the development of algorithms for automated detection of cells in tissue sections or cell culture systems wit
  Members:
  Isabella Ellinger

Research interests

My main research interests  are to study uptake, traffic and effects of maternal (macro-)molecules such as IgG, MeHg, iron or Apolipoproteins at the materno-fetal interface (placenta) and the advancement of automated microscopy. Since 2006, I was involved in several national research projects as well as teaching/research cooperations with the Comenius University in Bratislava/Slovakia. An important achievement has been the development of algorithms for automated detection of cells in tissue sections or cell culture systems within an interdisciplinary, FFG-funded cooperation with TissueGnostics GmbH (2009-2013) as well as within the "CaSR Biomedicine" European Training Network (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions of the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme). In 2020, a new FFG-funded project termed "Deep learning for improved nuclei segmentation and knowledge transfer methods in microscopic images" starts. Partners are Dr. Rupert Ecker (TissueGnostics GmbH) and Dr. Georg Dorffner (MedUni Vienna, Austria). Amirreza Mahbod, my former PhD student, is Post-Doc in this Bridge Young Scientist project.

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

My research group is part of the Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology at IPA. Our devision is dedicated to basic and disease-oriented research covering various stages of the human life span. Living organisms are complex systems and diseases manifest themselves as a consequence of impaired functions at the molecular, cellular, and organ level. Our research aims at investigating diseases by means of various model systems (in situ, in vitro, ex vivo) that reflect this complexity to obtain an integrated view of the disease. The final goal of our research is the improvement of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases.

The division combines specialists in distinct morphological techniques. We provide the expertise for and help with the experimental design in immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence microscopy, quantitative image analysis, life cell imaging, confocal fluorescence microscopy, and bone morphometry (including histomorphometry and micro-computed tomography).  

Grants

• Deep learning for improved nuclei segmentation and knowledge transfer methods in microscopic images (2019)
  Source of Funding: FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), Bridge Young Scientists
  Coordinator of the collaborative project

Selected publications

1. Chatuphonprasert W, Jarukamjorn K, Ellinger I. Physiology and Pathophysiology of Steroid Biosynthesis, Transport and Metabolism in the Human Placenta. Front Pharmacol. 2018 Sep 12;9:1027. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01027. eCollection 2018. Review. PubMed PMID: 30258364; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6144938.
2. Ellinger I. The Calcium-Sensing Receptor and the Reproductive System. Front Physiol. 2016 Aug 30;7:371. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00371. eCollection 2016. Review. PubMed PMID: 27625611; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5003915.
3. Mahbod A, Schaefer G, Ellinger I, Ecker R, Pitiot A, Wang C. Fusing fine-tuned deep features for skin lesion classification. Comput Med Imaging Graph. 2018 Nov 3;71:19-29. doi: 10.1016/j.compmedimag.2018.10.007. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30458354.
4. Ellinger I, Chatuphonprasert W, Reiter M, Voss A, Kemper J, Straka E, Scheinast M, Zeisler H, Salzer H, Gundacker C. Don't trust an(t)ybody - Pitfalls during investigation of candidate proteins for methylmercury transport at the placental interface. Placenta. 2016 Jul;43:13-6. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2016.04.011. Epub 2016 Apr 20. PubMed PMID: 27324094.
5. Kiskova T, Mytsko Y, Schepelmann M, Helmer H, Fuchs, R, Miedl H, Wadsack C, Ellinger I, Expression of the neonatal Fc-receptor in placental-fetal endothelium and in cells of the placental immune system. Placenta Volume 78, March 2019, Pages 36-43