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 
2 of 4
- Finnish children carrying the high-risk HLA genotype have a 45-fold increased risk of type 1 diabetes compared to peers with neutral or protective genotypes (2023)
- Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - HLA-DQ-conferred risk for type 1 diabetes does not alter neutralizing antibody response to a widely used enterovirus vaccine, the poliovirus vaccine (2023)
- Journal of Medical Virology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Persistent T cell-mediated immune responses against Omicron variants after the third COVID-19 mRNA vaccine dose (2023)
- Frontiers in Immunology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - SARS-CoV-2 and type 1 diabetes in children in Finland: an observational study (2023)
- Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - T cell immunity following COVID-19 vaccination in adult patients with primary antibody deficiency - a 22-month follow-up (2023)
- Frontiers in Immunology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Associations between deduced first islet specific autoantibody with sex, age at diagnosis and genetic risk factors in young children with type 1 diabetes (2022)
- Pediatric Diabetes
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Comparative analysis of COVID-19 vaccine responses and third booster dose-induced neutralizing antibodies against Delta and Omicron variants (2022)
- Nature Communications
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Detection of enterovirus RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlates with the presence of the predisposing allele of the type 1 diabetes risk gene IFIH1 and with disease stage (2022)
- Diabetologia
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Heterogeneity in the presentation of clinical type 1 diabetes defined by the level of risk conferred by human leukocyte antigen class II genotypes (2022)
- Pediatric Diabetes
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus during the COVID-19 pandemic: Time for a new paradigm? (2022)
- Pediatric Pulmonology
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Long-Lasting T Cell Responses in BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccinees and COVID-19 Convalescent Patients (2022)
- Frontiers in Immunology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Low pre-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Finnish health care workers: a prospective cohort study (2022)
- Infectious Diseases
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Myxovirus Resistance Protein A as a Marker of Viral Cause of Illness in Children Hospitalized with an Acute Infection (2022)
- Microbiology spectrum
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Non-HLA Gene Polymorphisms in the Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes: Phase and Endotype Specific Effects (2022)
- Frontiers in Immunology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Strong Neutralizing Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Variants Following a Single Vaccine Dose in Subjects With Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection (2022)
- Open Forum Infectious Diseases
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Vaccine-Induced Antibody Responses against SARS-CoV-2 Variants-Of-Concern Six Months after the BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination (2022)
- Microbiology spectrum
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Viral infection-related gene upregulation in monocytes in children with signs of β-cell autoimmunity (2022)
- Pediatric Diabetes
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - A Highly Sensitive and Specific SARS-CoV-2 Spike- and Nucleoprotein-Based Fluorescent Multiplex Immunoassay (FMIA) to Measure IgG, IgA, and IgM Class Antibodies (2021)
- Microbiology spectrum
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Associations Between IFI44L Gene Variants and Rates of Respiratory Tract Infections During Early Childhood (2021)
- Journal of Infectious Diseases
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - COVID-19 mRNA vaccine induced antibody responses against three SARS-CoV-2 variants (2021)
- Nature Communications
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
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