Helena Kilpinen

Helena Kilpinen is an Associate Professor at the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, specializing in cellular genetics of disease. She supervises the Doctoral Programme Brain & Mind and focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, stem cell biology, and genetic variation.

• Academic Rank: Associate Professor
• Institution: University of Helsinki
• Research Institute: HiLIFE
• Supervision: Doctoral Programme Brain & Mind

Her research spans genetics, developmental biology, and neurosciences, with recent work on CRISPR-based cellular reprogramming, somatic mutations in iPSC-derived neurons, and allelic gene expression quantification. Key subfields include induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), histone modifications, and translational therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Recent publications emphasize stem cell differentiation, epigenetic mechanisms, and genomic analysis in rare developmental diseases. She collaborates on projects funded by the Academy of Finland, Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, and Päivikki ja Sakari Sohlbergin säätiö.

• Projects
  • Academy of Finland (2021–2027): Effect of common genetic variation on neuronal phenotypes in rare developmental disorders
  • Sigrid Jusélius Foundation (2023–2026): Yleisen geneettisen variaation vaikutus hermosolujen ilmiasuun harvinaisissa kehityshäiriöissä
  • Päivikki ja Sakari Sohlbergin säätiö (2025): Foundation grant for neurogenetics research