Riitta Lahesmaa profile picture
Riitta
Lahesmaa
InFLAMES Flagship
Director, Turku Bioscience Centre
Professor, Turku Bioscience Centre
MD, PhD, Professor
InFLAMES Flagship, Immunology

Contact

+358 29 450 2415
+358 40 718 4813
Tykistökatu 6
20520
Turku

Links

ORCID

Areas of expertise

Immunology
Immune regulation
Type 1 diabetes
inflammation
autoimmune diseases
biomarkers

Biography


I have been the Director of Turku Bioscience Centre, Turku, Finland (https://bioscience.fi/) since 1998. I am also Professor of Systems Immunology at Medical Faculty of University of Turku, institute of Biomedicine.

I got M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Turku. I was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University Medical Center and a Principal Scientist at Roche Bioscience in Palo Alto, California. I have been a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School, Stanford University and UCSF. I founded and directed Turku Centre for Systems Biology 2000-2015 and was vice-director of The Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Systems Immunology and Physiology. I was the Academy Professor of the Academy of Finland in 2016-2020.

I am a member of the board of Scandinavian Society of Immunology. I have published > 250 original papers and reviews and have several issued patents and patent applications. I am an elected member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters since 2012.

Web-site: https://bioscience.fi/research/molecular-systems-immunology/profile



Teaching

My main contribution to teaching is to train PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. Over the years I have supervised 35 postdoctoral researchers of whom 29 completed, six in progress and 34 PhD students of whom 28 completed, six in progress.

Research


My research in molecular systems immunology  aims at understanding molecular mechanisms of regulation of human immune response and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and other human immune mediated diseases. T cells orchestrate our immune system and a proper balance of T cells is crucial for immune defense in healthy individuals. In autoimmune diseases, out-of-control T cells drive pathologic inflammatory responses with devastating consequences for patients. Our studies have resulted in the identification of novel molecular mechanisms and new regulators of T cell functions. Our projects in progress aim at understanding the molecular basis of immune regulation to enable its modulation. Moreover, we aim at understanding the early immune response in children who develop Type 1 Diabetes to identify new biomarkers to improve predicting, monitoring, and early diagnosis of beginning of the disease process. This is of fundamental importance to be able to select the right patients for potential interventions as soon as the disease process kicks in.

Web-site: https://bioscience.fi/research/molecular-systems-immunology/profile/


Publications

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Gene expression signature predicts rate of type 1 diabetes progression (2023)

EBioMedicine
Suomi Tomi, Starskaia Inna, Kalim Ubaid Ullah, Rasool Omid, Jaakkola Maria K., Grönroos Toni, Välikangas Tommi, Brorsson Caroline, Mazzoni Gianluca, Bruggraber Sylvaine, Overbergh Lut, Dunger David, Peakman Mark, Chmura Piotr, Brunak Søren, Schulte Anke M., Mathieu Chantal, Knip Mikael, Lahesmaa Riitta, Elo Laura L. ;INNODIA Consortium
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

PIM kinases regulate early human Th17 cell differentiation (2023)

Cell Reports
Buchacher Tanja, Shetty Ankitha, Koskela Saara A., Smolander Johannes, Kaukonen Riina, Sousa Antonio G. G., Junttila Sini, Laiho Asta, Rundquist Olof, Lonnberg Tapio, Marson Alexander, Rasool Omid, L. Laura, Lahesmaa Riitta
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Targeted serum proteomics of longitudinal samples from newly diagnosed youth with type 1 diabetes distinguishes markers of disease and C-peptide trajectory (2023)

Diabetologia
Moulder Robert, Välikangas Tommi, Hirvonen M. Karoliina, Suomi Tomi A., Brorsson Caroline A., Lietzén Niina, Bruggraber Sylvaine F. A., Overbergh Lut, Dunger David B., Peakman Mark, Chmura Piotr J., Brunak Soren, Schulte Anke M., Mathieu Chantal, Knip Mikael, Elo Laura L., Lahesmaa, Riitta
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Permutation-based significance analysis reduces the type 1 error rate in bisulfite sequencing data analysis of human umbilical cord blood samples (2022)

Epigenetics
Laajala Essi, Halla-Aho Viivi, Grönroos Toni, Kalim Ubaid Ullah, Vähä-Mäkilä Mari, Nurmio Mirja, Kallionpää Henna, Lietzén Niina, Mykkänen Juha, Rasool Omid, Toppari Jorma, Oresic Matej, Knip Mikael, Lund Riikka, Lahesmaa Riitta, Lähdesmäki Harri
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Umbilical cord blood DNA methylation in children who later develop type 1 diabetes (2022)

Diabetologia
Laajala Essi, Kalim Ubaid U, Grönroos Toni, Rasool Omid, Halla-aho Viivi, Konki Mikko, Kattelus Roosa, Mykkänen Juha, Nurmio Mirja, Vähä-Mäkilä Mari, Kallionpää Henna, Lietzen Niina, Ghimire Bishwa R, Laiho Asta, Hyöty Heikki, Elo Laura L, Ilonen Jorma, Knip Mikael, Lund Riikka J, Orešič Matej, Veijola Riitta, Lähdesmäki Harri, Toppari Jorma, Lahesmaa Riitta
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Early DNA methylation changes in children developing beta cell autoimmunity at a young age (2022)

Diabetologia
Starskaia Inna, Laajala Essi, Grönroos Toni, Härkönen Taina, Junttila Sini, Kattelus Roosa, Kallionpää Henna, Laiho Asta, Suni Veronika, Tillmann Vallo, Lund Riikka, Elo Laura L. Lähdesmäki Harri, Knip Mikael, Kalim Ubaid Ullah, Lahesmaa Riitta
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))
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