Lauri Aaltonen

Lauri Aaltonen is a Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics and Inherited Medicine at the University of Helsinki, serving as Supervisor in the Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine and the Doctoral Programme in Integrative Life Science. His research integrates clinical and genomic approaches to unravel human tumor susceptibility mechanisms.

His Tumor Genomics research group focuses on:

• Molecular basis of hereditary colorectal cancer and microsatellite instability
• Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) syndrome
• Pituitary adenoma predisposition via AIP gene mutations
• Registry-based cancer gene identification using Finland's National Cancer Registry

The group collaborates with clinical researchers and participates in the Academy of Finland's Center of Excellence in Translational Genome-Scale Biology.

With over 323 publications spanning 1992-2025, Aaltonen's work demonstrates consistent contributions to cancer genetics, evolving from foundational discoveries in hereditary colorectal cancer (1990s) to current genomic approaches for novel cancer syndrome identification.

Award highlights include:

• ERC Advanced Grant (2010)
• Matti Äyräpää Prize (2006)
• Academy Professor title (2009)
• Descartes Prize nomination (2005)

He actively supervises doctoral candidates (including Donner, Tanskanen, Ristolainen, Hänninen, and Cajuso) and leads major funded projects through the Academy of Finland, Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, and Cancer Foundation, including Chameleon Enhancers in neoplasia (2024-2026) and COETG: Kasvaingenetiikan tutkimuksen huippuyksikkö (2023-2025).

The Tumor Genomics group operates within Helsinki's medical research ecosystem, leveraging Finland's unique population registries and maintaining affiliations with the Nordic Network of Excellence in Disease Genetics.