Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM)

06/02/2026

Upcoming FIMM dissertation! 📢

Weikaixin Kong will defend his doctoral dissertation "Machine Learning-Based Multi-Modal Prognostic Modeling in Leukemia" in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, on 13 February 2026 at 13:00.

Professor Riccardo De Bin, University of Oslo, will serve as the opponent, and Professor Ville Mustonen as the custos. The thesis has been supervised by Professor Tero Aittokallio, University of Helsinki, and Professor Juho Rousu, Aalto University.

The public examination will take place at the following address: Haartman Institute, Lecture Hall 2, Haartmaninkatu 3. Welcome!

In this thesis, Weikaixin has integrated multi-modal data (including transcriptomics, phosphoprotein signaling, immune profiling, and ex vivo drug sensitivity) to develop transparent and interpretable prognostic models for leukemia. By focusing on mechanistically meaningful features, rather than static mutational profiles, the models developed provide a foundation for more individualized risk stratification and therapy optimization in leukemia.

Link to the event page: https://tapahtumat.helsinki.fi/en-FI/page/6972af9afafad1b3a69141c1

Read the thesis here: https://helda.helsinki.fi/items/59a5b843-6829-4bd1-a715-56669e6c0280

05/02/2026

We are recruiting 1-2 Group Leaders in Data Science and AI for Molecular & Health Data!

FIMM is seeking ambitious data scientists ready to build independent research groups focusing on development and/or application of cutting-edge statistical and machine learning methods in molecular medicine and population health.

Qualification requirements include a doctoral degree in for example data science, statistics, bioinformatics, computer science or other relevant field, postdoctoral training, a track-record of high-impact publications in the top journals in the field and significant international mobility.

We offer:

✔️ An attractive support package for 5 + 4 years (extension based on external evaluation)

✔️Access to FinnGen and other nationwide datasets, providing both unique statistical power and possibilities for translation

✔️A collaborative, ambitious and highly international environment linking data science, molecular biology and clinical research

✔️A chance to work and live in a society with deep respect for science and a country ranked as the happiest for eight years in a row.

FIMM is located in Helsinki, Finland. We are part of Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) at the University of Helsinki, and a node in the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, together with EMBL and the centres in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, as well as the EU-LIFE community.

Apply here by 15 March, 2026: https://jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-FIMM-EMBL-Group-Leaders-in-Data-Science-and-AI-for-Molecular-and-Health-Data/1351981757/

04/02/2026

Tänään, maailman syöpäpäivänä, kannattaa käyttää puoli tuntia tämän YLE:n Akuutti-ohjelman jakson katsomiseen.

Ohjelmassa seurataan sekä syöpään sairastuneiden naisten elämää että Anniina Färkkilän tutkimusryhmän työtä. Tutkimusryhmän erityisenä kiinnostuksen kohteena on munasarjasyövän immunogenomiikka.

Munasarjasyöpään sairastuu Suomessa vuosittain noin 500-550 naista. Färkkilä on työskennellyt munasarjasyöpien parissa pitkäjänteisesti ja hänen tavoitteensa on parantaa siihen sairastuvien potilaiden hoitoa.

Jenna Sirkiä kaatui sähköpotkulaudalla ja loukkasi vatsansa. Tästä alkoi tapahtumasarja, jonka päätteeksi häneltä löytyi munasarjasyöpä. Siihen sairastuu joka vuosi noin 500 suomalaista. Eniten diagnooseja on kuusikymppisillä, joten 25-vuotias Jenna on tässä joukossa harvinaisuus. Har...

02/02/2026

Helmikuun 2. päivä vietetään Suomen monikkoperheet ry:n vuonna 2010 lanseeraamaa kaksosten teemapäivää.

Tänä vuonna järjestön kanavissa käsitellään kaksosuutta niin kulttuurisena ilmiönä kuin tieteellisenä tutkimuskohteena, teemalla ”Miksi kaksosuus kiehtoo?”.

Suomalaisen kaksostutkimuksen pioneerin Jaakko Kaprion myötä myös meillä FIMMissä tehdään paljon kaksosaineistoihin perustuvaa tutkimusta. Kaksoset mahdollistavat ainutlaatuisella tavalla perimän ja ympäristötekijöiden vaikutusten selvittämisen erilaisten ominaisuuksien taustalla.

Hyvää juhlapäivää ja lämmin kiitos kaikille tutkimuksiimme osallistuneille kaksosille ja kaksosten perheille!

Lue lisää kaksostutkimuksen sivuilta:
https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/tutkimusryhmat/kaksostutkimus

ja Yliopistolehden jutusta:
https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/uutiset/vaeston-terveys/kaksostutkimus-elegantti-tapa-erottaa-periman-vaikutus-ympariston-vaikutuksesta

Vuonne 2021 julkaistulta videolta saat myös lisätietoa kaksostutkimuksen pitkästä historiasta Suomessa:
https://vimeo.com/642262543

hashtag

In the 1970s the Finnish Twin Cohort studies began, with the aim to assess all like-twin pairs born in Finland before 1958. Along with the later addition of opposite-sex…

30/01/2026

“Can AI Supported Digital Microscopy Bridge the Diagnostic Gap in Primary Health Care?”

This question is at the heart of a new blog post by Doctoral Researcher Joar von Bahr from FIMM and Karolinska Institutet, exploring how artificial intelligence combined with digital microscopy can support diagnostics in primary health care.

In the post, Joar discusses findings from his recent scoping review written together with his supervisors Nina Linder and Johan Lundin and colleagues.

The review shows that AI supported digital microscopy can achieve diagnostic performance comparable to, and in some cases higher than, traditional manual microscopy across several sample types. This includes complete blood counts, malaria diagnostics, parasite detection and cytology screening.

The technology has the potential to increase access to reliable diagnostics in resource limited or expert scarce settings, bringing faster and more consistent results closer to patients.

A scoping review published in JMIR examined AI-supported digital microscopy at the primary healthcare level. The study finds that AI systems often achieve diagnostic performance comparable to expert manual microscopy across a range of sample types and show promise in expanding access to diagnostics.

27/01/2026

New study, co-authored by Hanna M. Ollila and Vilma Lammi from FIMM, identified 13 genetic markers associated with infection with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Interestingly, the results differ markedly from the results of previous genome-wide association studies of COVID-19. Of the 13 genetic regions identified, eight have not previously been linked to infection with SARS-CoV-2.

The strongest genetic finding in the study is located in the gene ST6GAL1, which plays a role in immune system development. The same genetic variant was shown to be associated with susceptibility to influenza infection in the Finnish FinnGen study cohort.

The study, led by researchers at Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, was published recently in Nature Genetics. Congratulations!

Read more from the SSI press release:

Genetic differences may influence the risk of infection with the highly transmissible Omicron variant, and the patterns differ from earlier coronavirus variants, according to a new large international study led by researchers at Statens Serum Institut (SSI).

22/01/2026

Mac4Me is a European doctoral network aiming to provide new treatment options for metastatic neuroblastoma, prostate and breast tumours.

This network is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration across over 11 countries, centered on the work of 18 doctoral candidates.

We are happy to host one of these early-career scientists at FIMM.
Meet Sidney van der Zande who works in the team of Teijo Pellinen!

Her PhD project at the University of Helsinki focuses on unravelling the tumour microenvironment in human tumour samples using spatial analyses. By combining wet-lab and computational approaches, primarily focused on immunofluorescent staining, she aims to better understand immune-tumour interactions and their impact on therapy.

Today we introduce you to Sidney van der Zande, our Doctoral Candidate at the University of Helsinki, at the department of Precision Systems Medicine. In her...

20/01/2026

The project “KUDOS – Cellular Twins” led by FIMM researchers Vilja Pietiäinen, Minttu Polso & Lassi Paavolainen has been awarded Business Finland Research to Business (R2B) funding for a two-year period starting in January 2026. Warm congratulations! 🎉 👏

The project focuses on developing an AI-based solution that improves the diagnosis of pediatric cancers and supports the selection of drug therapies by utilizing routinely collected clinical H&E tissue images.

The funding supports the translation of high-quality research toward commercial applications and reflects the strong scientific expertise and translational potential of the project team.

Business Finland highlighted the team’s complementary expertise spanning research, data-driven methods and clinical collaboration, as well as the project’s relevance to unmet needs in pediatric cancer care. During the R2B project, the team will further develop the concept and evaluate commercialization pathways in close interaction with relevant stakeholders and collaborative partners.

If this project resonates with you, the team is currently looking for an AI/ML expert with experience in biological microscopy image analysis and a strong interest in applying ML to cancer related challenges. Apply by 2 Feb, 2026, here:
https://jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-AI-&-Image-analysis-specialist-%282-year-position%29/1350074557/

Graphic: Minttu Polso

19/01/2026

Just before Christmas, Tero Aittokallio’s group at FIMM hosted a consortium meeting of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme project “Understanding and overcoming cancer drug resistance through experimental–computational studies of cancer cell lineage dynamics.”

The meeting brought together partners from the groups of Aittokallio, Kaisa Lehti/Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Krister Wennerberg (Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen in Helsinki, December 15–17, 2025.

The project combines experimental and computational approaches to address one of the key challenges in cancer research: drug resistance. Thank you to all participants for the productive discussions and strong collaboration!

16/01/2026

Each year, the University of Helsinki funds over one hundred employment-based positions for doctoral researchers, allowing them to focus full-time on their research.

In the latest call, the following FIMM-affiliated early-career researchers received one of these positions: Karin Lohi (Group Vuoksimaa), Outi Rahikkala (Group Ollikainen), Kira Detrois (Group Ganna), Marc Carrillo Pérez (Group Kilpinen), Nour Assaf (Group Kilpinen), Juha Riikonen (Group Pirinen) and Théo Schneider (Group Rubinacci). Warm congratulations and good luck with your dissertation projects!

Read more: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-school/university-funded-doctoral-researcher-positions

15/01/2026

We have received a significant donation for a rapidly emerging research field that is reshaping how scientists understand diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Thank you! 🌹

The long-term goal is game-changing: to identify individuals at high risk early on, to lower disease risk through preventive immune enhancement measures such as vaccinations or antiviral treatments, and so delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s further into old age.

"The hope is, that by supporting novel approaches made possible by recent dramatic progress in AI, molecular biology and big data science, we can contribute to a future where these diseases start much later in life, or can be prevented altogether," said the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous.

The donation, made through the Swiss foundation Pipistrel, is the first private donation ever received by FIMM and marks an important milestone for our institute.

“This is a very special moment for us. Receiving our first private donation is a strong vote of confidence in FIMM’s scientific vision and the research environment we have built together with our local and global partners,” said FIMM director Samuli Ripatti.

A private foundation has made a significant donation to the University of Helsinki to accelerate research on neurodegenerative diseases at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM). The donation highlights the exceptional research opportunities offered by Finland and the University of Hels...

09/01/2026

Suomalaisiin kaksosiin perustuva tutkimus osoittaa, että lisääntymishistorialla on väestötasolla havaittava yhteys naisten elinikään ja biologiseen vanhenemiseen.

Suurperheiden äitien, synnyttämättömien tai hyvin nuorena lapsen saaneiden naisten vanheneminen oli tutkimusaineistossa jonkin verran muita naisia nopeampaa.

Erityisesti keskimääräistä suuremman lasten määrän (yli 4) havaittiin olevan yhteydessä lyhyempään elinikään ja kiihtyneeseen biologiseen vanhenemiseen.

Tutkimuksen toteuttivat väitöskirjatutkija Mikaela Hukkanen, ryhmänjohtaja Miina Ollikainen ja heidän työryhmänsä. Tulokset on juuri julkaistu Nature Communications -tiedelehdessä.

Suomalaisiin kaksosiin perustuva tutkimus osoittaa, että lisääntymishistorialla on väestötasolla havaittava yhteys naisten elinikään ja biologiseen vanhenemiseen. Suurperheiden äitien, synnyttämättömien tai hyvin nuorena lapsen saaneiden naisten vanheneminen oli tutkimusaineistossa jonkin...