Hannes Tapani LohiView profile
Professor
Hannes Tapani Lohi is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Biosciences at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He serves as Principal Investigator and Supervisor in the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Veterinary Medicine and the Doctoral Programme in Integrative Life Science. His work is closely associated with Helsinki One Health (HOH) initiative and he maintains an adjunct professorship at the University of Guelph since May 2013. Professor Lohi's research focuses on veterinary genetics, specializing in canine models of human complex diseases. His laboratory takes advantage of canine pure breeding which has resulted in highly uniform genomes within breeds, making it easier to detect genetic signals contributing to disease. His team has established one of the world's largest Dog DNA Biobanks containing over 80,000 samples from 330 different breeds. His primary research areas include neurological, neurodegenerative, and neurobehavioral conditions such as epilepsy, ataxia, and anxiety in dogs, with direct relevance to human diseases. Analysis of his publication record shows consistent output with 303 publications to date, demonstrating expertise in identifying disease genes and loci in canine populations. His work has strong translational value, with discoveries leading to commercial diagnostic innovations including MyDogDNA (a gene panel test) and PetMETA (an NMR-based serum metabolomics test) that are transforming veterinary diagnostics globally. Animal Protection Award (2019) Helsinki City Science Award (2013) Professor Lohi actively supervises doctoral students in Clinical Veterinary Medicine and has served as a doctoral thesis supervisor or co-supervisor for multiple candidates. His research is supported by significant funding including Academy of Finland projects, Kennel Union of Finland funding, and Société Centrale Canine grants. Current projects include molecular etiology of sudden cardiac death in dogs and heart-related sudden deaths in dogs and humans (2024-2028). His laboratory maintains extensive biobank resources including the Canine Biobank and Feline Biobank, both established in 2017 at the University of Helsinki. These resources support global research collaborations focused on understanding the genetic basis of diseases across species.

