Thomas Aga Legøy

SCIENTIFIC CAREER

Since 2022

Postdoctoral Fellow at Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway

2021 – 2022 Researcher – Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway

2020 – 2021 Researcher – Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway; Advisor: Dr. Irep Gozen

2017 – 2020 PhD work – Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Advisor: Prof. Simona Chera

2014 – 2016 Master in Biology, Specialization in environmental toxicology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, University of Bergen

2011 – 2014 Bachelor in Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, University of Bergen

PUBLICATIONS while in the lab

  1. Unger L, Mathisen AF, Chera S, Legøy TA, Ghila L. The GLI code controls HNF1A levels during foregut differentiation. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 2024; 52: 220 doi: 10.1387/ijdb.230220lg
  2. Mathisen AF, Abadpour S, Legøy TA, Paulo JA, Ghila L, Scholz H, Chera S. Global proteomics reveals insulin abundance as a marker of human islet homeostasis alterations. Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2023 Aug 24:e14037. doi: 10.1111/apha.14037. PMID: 37621186
  3. Ghila L, Legøy TA, Chera S. A Method for Encapsulation and Transplantation into Diabetic Mice of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC)-Derived Pancreatic Progenitors. In: Methods in Molecular Biology. 2022 Springer, New York, NY. doi: 10.1007/7651_2021_356
  4. Ghila L#, Legøy TA, Mathisen AF, Abadpour S, Paulo JA, Scholz H, Ræder H, Chera S#. Chronically Elevated Exogenous Glucose Elicits Antipodal Effects on the Proteome Signature of Differentiating Human iPSC-Derived Pancreatic Progenitors. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(7):3698. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073698
  5. Ghila L#, Bjørlykke Y, Legøy TA, Vethe H, Furuyama K, Chera S, Ræder H.# Bioinformatic Analyses of miRNA-mRNA Signature during hiPSC Differentiation towards Insulin-Producing Cells upon HNF4α Mutation Biomedicines 2020 Jun 27;8(7):E179. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8070179. PMID: 32605028
  6. Legøy TA*, Vethe H*, Abadpour S, Strand BL, Scholz H, Paulo JA, Ræder H, Ghila L, Chera S. Encapsulation boosts islet-cell signature in differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells via integrin signaling. Scientific Reports 2020 Jan 15;10(1):414. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-57305-x [BioRxiv 2019 Oct 04, preprint doi: 10.1101/791442]
  7. Legøy TA, Mathisen AF, Salim Z, Vethe H, Bjørlykke Y, Abadpour S, Paulo JA, Scholz H, Raeder H, Ghila L, Chera S. In vivo Environment Swiftly Restricts Human Pancreatic Progenitors Toward Mono-Hormonal Identity via a HNF1A/HNF4A Mechanism. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 2020 Feb 25;8:109. eCollection 2020. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00109
  8. Legøy TA, Ghila L, Vethe H, Abadpour S, Mathisen AF, Paulo JA, Scholz H, Raeder H, Chera S. In vivo hyperglycemia exposure elicits distinct period-dependent effects on human pancreatic progenitor differentiation, conveyed by oxidative stress. Acta Physiologica (Oxf) 2020 Apr;228(4):e13433. Epub 2020 Jan 8. doi: 10.1111/apha.13433. PMID:31872528

ORAL Presentations

  1. Thomas A. Legøy, Andreas F Mathisen, Eilen Ravnanger, Joao A. Paulo, Lucas Unger, Amanda Friestad, Luiza Ghila, Simona Chera. “Impact of diabetogenic signals from endocrine disrupting chemicals on a HNF1A cell model” Pancreatic Diseases GRS Mechanisms and Therapeutics in Pancreatic Diseases 29-30 April 2023 Castelvecchio, Italy
  2. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, Heidrun Vethe, Shadab Abadpour, Andreas F. Mathisen, Joao A. Paulo, Hanne Scholz, Helge Ræder & Simona Chera. “In vivo hyperglycemia effects on human pancreatic progenitor differentiation”. 5th Bergen Stem Cell Consortium annual meeting. 3. October 2019 Bergen, Norway.
  3. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, Heidrun Vethe, Helge Ræder, and Simona Chera. “Monitoring and Analysing of Encapsulated MODY3-hiPS-derived insulin producing cells”. 10th Training School on Microencapsulation. 20. September 2018 Trondheim, Norway.
  4. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, Heidrun Vethe, Helge Ræder, and Simona Chera. “Monitoring and Analysing of Encapsulated MODY3-hiPS-derived insulin producing cells”. 4th Bergen Stem Cell Consortium annual meeting. 29. August 2018 Bergen, Norway.

POSTER Presentations

  1. Thomas A. Legøy, Andreas F Mathisen, Eilen Ravnanger, Joao A. Paulo, Lucas Unger, Amanda Friestad, Luiza Ghila, Simona Chera. “Human induced pluripotent stem cells as a model for environmental impact on diabetes” Pancreatic Diseases GRS Mechanisms and Therapeutics in Pancreatic Diseases 29-30 April 2023 Castelvecchio, Italy
  2. Thomas A. Legøy, Andreas F Mathisen, Hanne Scholz, Joao A. Paulo, Helge Ræder, Luiza Ghila, Simona Chera. “Molecular mechanisms affecting islet like cell fate acquisition in differentiating iPSC derived β-like cells”. European Islet Study Group Workshop,13-15th June 2022, Strasbourg, France 
  3. Thomas A. Legøy*, Heidrun Vethe*, Berit L. Strand, Hanne Scholz, Joao A. Paulo, Helge Ræder, Luiza Ghila, Simona Chera. “To bead or not to bead?: Alginate encapsulation improves hiPSC to pancreatic β-cell differentiation”. 3rd Joint Meeting of the EASD Islet Study Group & Beta-cell Workshop. 1. April 2019 Oxford, United Kingdom.
  4. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, and Simona Chera. “Beta Cell Fate in Monogenic Diabetes”. 5th BBDC-Joslin-UCPH Conference on Prevention of Beta Cell Dysfunction in T1D and T2D. 26. October 2018 Copenhagen, Denmark.
  5. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, and Simona Chera. “Beta Cell Fate in Monogenic Diabetes”. Post EASD Workshop 2018. 5. October 2018 Potsdam, Germany.
  6. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, Heidrun Vethe, Helge Ræder, and Simona Chera. “Monitoring and Analysing of Encapsulated MODY3-hiPS-derived insulin producing cells”. 10th Training School on Microencapsulation. 21. September 2018 Trondheim, Norway.
  7. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, and Simona Chera. “Characterizing and modulating the insulin-producing beta-cell fate in monogenic diabetes by using novel genetic setups”. Keystone Symposia meeting on Frontiers on Islet Biology and Diabetes. 4. February 2018 Keystone Resort, United States of America.  
  8. Thomas Aga Legøy, Luiza Ghila, and Simona Chera. “Characterizing and modulating the insulin-producing beta-cell fate in monogenic diabetes by using novel genetic setups”. Joint BSDB/Nordic conference on ‘Development and Regeneration’. 26. October 2017 Stockholm, Sweden.

FUNDING

 

Agency logo Period Grant Description
2021-2022

The effect of human level chemical exposure on development of monogenic diabetes phenotype

The goal of this project is to assess the effects of a human relevant low dose exposure of POPs on the emergence and establishment of the diabetic course in MODY3 models.
2020 Travel grant