I’m Bence Berki, and I started this January at City-Lab’s Biomedicum shop as a customer service specialist, covering for Nancy during parental leave.

My background is in biomedical sciences: I hold a Master’s degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Turku (graduated in 2022) and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Oulu (2020). I have both work and academic experience in molecular biology, cell biology, and protein chemistry. I’ve worked in research and product development roles at a startup and in an IVDR-certified diagnostics company.

I completed my Master’s thesis at Turku Bioscience Centre in Ilkka Paatero’s group, where I studied the role of the TLNRD1 protein in vascular development using a zebrafish model. During this project, I gained extensive experience in DNA/RNA extraction, PCR techniques, fluorescence microscopy, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. After graduating in 2022, I joined a startup called DeepScan Diagnostics as a method developer: I helped set up the lab at the Viikki campus and contributed to developing a liquid biopsy-based cancer test for dogs. City-Lab became very familiar to me during that time, as we ordered a wide range of supplies for the new lab—from pipettes and DNA extraction kits to centrifuges. In this role, I performed numerous blood sample analyses and validated methods for PCR reactions and DNA extractions.

My favorite memories of City-Lab are the exhibitions that bring together a large group of bio-industry companies represented by City-Lab. These events have been excellent opportunities to meet and network with representatives from different companies and to develop my own expertise.

I applied for this position because I feel I thrive in a social work environment where I can interact with a variety of customers. It will be exciting to think about different solutions for researchers’ product needs! In addition to Finnish and English, I can also communicate in Hungarian, which is my other native language.

I’m looking forward to the year ahead at City-Lab and sincerely thank the team for the warm welcome.
See you at Biomedicum!