Johanna Lempainen
Clinical lecturer
johanna.lempainen@utu.fi Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku Unit for Rare Diseases, Turku University Hospital |
Areas of expertise
pediatrics; pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes; pediatric infections; pediatric immunology
pediatrics; pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes; pediatric infections; pediatric immunology
Biography
Docent Johanna Lempainen
graduated from medical school in 2004 (University of Turku) and defended her
PhD theses on pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes in 2009. She received specialist
licence in paediatrics in 2015 and was appointed as a docent of experimental
paediatrics in 2018 (University of Turku). She is currently working as clinical
lecturer at the department of pediatrics at University of Turku and as
specialist at the Unit for Rare Diseases, Turku University Hospital. She
participates in neonatal screening for severe immunodeficiencies and in
laboratory diagnostics of immunodeficiencies. Training for subspecialty in
pediatric infections and immunodeficiencies is ongoing.
Docent Johanna Lempainen
graduated from medical school in 2004 (University of Turku) and defended her
PhD theses on pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes in 2009. She received specialist
licence in paediatrics in 2015 and was appointed as a docent of experimental
paediatrics in 2018 (University of Turku). She is currently working as clinical
lecturer at the department of pediatrics at University of Turku and as
specialist at the Unit for Rare Diseases, Turku University Hospital. She
participates in neonatal screening for severe immunodeficiencies and in
laboratory diagnostics of immunodeficiencies. Training for subspecialty in
pediatric infections and immunodeficiencies is ongoing.
Research
Docent Lempainen’s
thesis in 2009 focused on the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. Since then her
research work has further focused on the heterogeneity of type 1 diabetes
pathogenesis. In 2011 she worked as visiting researcher in the
BabyDiab-diabetes study group in Munich,
Germany. Her current research interests comprise the etiology of beta-cell
autoimmunity in respect of immunological, genetic and epigenetic factors and
disturbances in early microbial contacts and are a part of the prospective
Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) study. In addition, she participates
in research projects aiming at early detection of bacterial and viral
infections in infants and children in order to avoid unnecessary antibiotic
exposure. Since January 2020 docent Lempainen is the principal investigator of the Immunogenetics laboratory and PI and member of steering committee in the DIPP study at the University of Turku.
Docent Lempainen’s
thesis in 2009 focused on the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. Since then her
research work has further focused on the heterogeneity of type 1 diabetes
pathogenesis. In 2011 she worked as visiting researcher in the
BabyDiab-diabetes study group in Munich,
Germany. Her current research interests comprise the etiology of beta-cell
autoimmunity in respect of immunological, genetic and epigenetic factors and
disturbances in early microbial contacts and are a part of the prospective
Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) study. In addition, she participates
in research projects aiming at early detection of bacterial and viral
infections in infants and children in order to avoid unnecessary antibiotic
exposure. Since January 2020 docent Lempainen is the principal investigator of the Immunogenetics laboratory and PI and member of steering committee in the DIPP study at the University of Turku.
Teaching
Docent Lempainen works
as clinical lecturer in pediatrics (part-time) since January 2017.
Docent Lempainen works
as clinical lecturer in pediatrics (part-time) since January 2017.
Publications 
1 of 4
- 22q11.2-deleetio-oireyhtymän hoito ja seuranta (2025)
- Duodecim
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - Characteristics of Type 1 Diabetes Among Patients Carrying the Protective HLA-DQB1*06:02 Allele (2024)
- HLA
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Cholestatic Epstein-Barr virus hepatitis in children with glycogenosis type IXa (2024) Wahrmann, Sakari; Karppinen, Sinikka; Lempainen, Johanna; Niinikoski, Harri; Peltola, Ville
(Abstract) - Distinct cellular immune responses in children en route to type 1 diabetes with different first-appearing autoantibodies (2024)
- Nature Communications
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Finnish nationwide controlled register study found increased inpatient infections in children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (2024)
- Acta Paediatrica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Household Transmission and Clinical Features of Respiratory Tract Infections That Were SARS-CoV-2 Positive and Negative (2024)
- Journal of Infectious Diseases
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Increased Frequency of the HLA-DRB1*04:04-DQA1*03-DQB1*03:02 Haplotype Among HLA-DQB1*06:02-Positive Children With Type 1 Diabetes (2024)
- Diabetes
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Long-term COVID-19 vaccine- and Omicron infection-induced humoral and cell-mediated immunity (2024)
- Frontiers in Immunology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Neonatal and early infancy antibiotic exposure is associated with childhood atopic dermatitis, wheeze and asthma (2024)
- European Journal of Pediatrics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Neutralizing antibodies after the third COVID-19 vaccination in healthcare workers with or without breakthrough infection (2024)
- Communications medicine
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Temporal Alterations in CD8+ T Cells During the Progression from Stage 1 to Stage 3 Type 1 Diabetes (2024)
- Diabetes
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - The effect of early life cytomegalovirus infection on the immune profile of children (2024)
- Clinical Immunology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - The effect of type 1 diabetes protection and susceptibility associated HLA class II genotypes on DNA methylation in immune cells (2024)
- HLA
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Borrelioosi (2023) Lastentaudit Saxen Harri, Lempainen Johanna
(D2 Article in a professional compilation book) - Childhood manifestations of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: A Finnish nationwide register-based cohort study (2023)
- Acta Paediatrica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Circulating metabolic signatures of rapid and slow progression to type 1 diabetes in islet autoantibody-positive children (2023)
- Frontiers in Endocrinology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Coronavirus spike protein-specific antibodies indicate frequent infections and reinfections in infancy and among BNT162b2-vaccinated healthcare workers (2023)
- Scientific Reports
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - CXADR polymorphism rs6517774 modifies islet autoimmunity characteristics and exhibits sex disparity (2023)
- Frontiers in Genetics
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - DNA methylation differences within INS, PTPN22 and IL2RA promoters in lymphocyte subsets in children with type 1 diabetes and controls (2023)
- Autoimmunity
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - ERN-verkostot kokoavat harvinaissairauksien osaajat yhteen (2023)
- Lääkärilehti
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal )
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