I have been the Director of Turku Bioscience Centre, Turku, Finland (https://bioscience.fi/) since 1998. I am also Professor of Systems Immunology at Medical Faculty of University of Turku, institute of Biomedicine.

I got M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Turku. I was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University Medical Center and a Principal Scientist at Roche Bioscience in Palo Alto, California. I have been a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School, Stanford University and UCSF. I founded and directed Turku Centre for Systems Biology 2000-2015 and was vice-director of The Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Systems Immunology and Physiology. I was the Academy Professor of the Academy of Finland in 2016-2020.

I am a member of the board of Scandinavian Society of Immunology. I have published > 250 original papers and reviews and have several issued patents and patent applications. I am an elected member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters since 2012.

Web-site: https://bioscience.fi/research/molecular-systems-immunology/profile

My research in molecular systems immunology  aims at understanding molecular mechanisms of regulation of human immune response and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and other human immune mediated diseases. T cells orchestrate our immune system and a proper balance of T cells is crucial for immune defense in healthy individuals. In autoimmune diseases, out-of-control T cells drive pathologic inflammatory responses with devastating consequences for patients. Our studies have resulted in the identification of novel molecular mechanisms and new regulators of T cell functions. Our projects in progress aim at understanding the molecular basis of immune regulation to enable its modulation. Moreover, we aim at understanding the early immune response in children who develop Type 1 Diabetes to identify new biomarkers to improve predicting, monitoring, and early diagnosis of beginning of the disease process. This is of fundamental importance to be able to select the right patients for potential interventions as soon as the disease process kicks in.

Web-site: https://bioscience.fi/research/molecular-systems-immunology/profile/(external)

My main contribution to
teaching is to train PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. Over the years I
have supervised 35 postdoctoral researchers of whom 29 completed, six in
progress and 34 PhD students of whom 28 completed, six in progress.