معرفی
Riitta Lahesmaa serves as the Director of Turku Bioscience Centre and Professor of Systems Immunology at the Medical Faculty of University of Turku, Institute of Biomedicine. She has held leadership positions since 1998 and is recognized internationally for her contributions to immunological research.
Her educational journey began at the University of Turku, where she earned both her MD and PhD in immunology. She expanded her expertise through a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center and industry experience as a Principal Scientist at Roche Bioscience in Palo Alto, California. Her academic influence extends through visiting professorships at Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, and UCSF.
Professor Lahesmaa's research program focuses on molecular systems immunology, specifically investigating the molecular mechanisms that regulate human immune responses and drive autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes. Her laboratory has identified novel molecular regulators of T cell functions, which are critical for maintaining immune balance. Current projects examine early immune responses in children developing type 1 diabetes with the goal of discovering biomarkers that could transform prediction, monitoring, and early diagnosis of the disease process.
Recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on multi-omics approaches, proteomics, and biomarker discovery across autoimmune conditions. Her work spans from fundamental molecular mechanisms to clinical applications, with particular focus on type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.
- Academy Professor of the Academy of Finland (2016-2020)
- Elected member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (since 2012)
Professor Lahesmaa has trained 34 PhD students (28 completed, 6 in progress) and mentored 35 postdoctoral researchers (29 completed, 6 in progress). Her leadership extends to founding and directing the Turku Centre for Systems Biology (2000-2015) and serving as vice-director of The Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Systems Immunology and Physiology.
She leads the Molecular Systems Immunology research group at Turku Bioscience Centre, which maintains an active research program investigating immune regulation at the molecular level and applying these insights to improve understanding and treatment of autoimmune diseases.
