Our Supervisors

Olli Gröhn is a  Professor of Biomedical MRI and Director of Biomedical Imaging Unit that serves as European level and national infrastructure for experimental MRI He has >25-year experience in development of MRI techniques and more than 15-year experience in leading large research projects including multi-center studies. His research group is focusing on technical development of novel MRI techniques that can be applied in several different neurological diseases. His special interest areas currently include fMRI and resting state fMRI in awake mice and rats. For that, his group has developed novel quiet and robust fMRI approaches and openly available 3D printable restrainer and novel habituation protocols. Ongoing projects are focused on investigation of origin of novel fMRI contrast, development of simultaneous spinal cord and brain fMRI and development quiet fMRI methods to study memory consolidation during sleep. He has published >200 papers related to biomedical imaging He has supervised 20 PhD to completion and is currently supervisor of 6 post docs and 5 PhD students.

Example of ongoing project fundings relevanr for NOVEL:

• NIH-NINDS: RO1 MB-SWIFT as a novel approach for simultaneous functional imaging of the brain and spinal cord, 2.5 M€/0.8 M€ 2023-2027
• NIH-NINDS RO1 Next-Generation fMRI with MB-SWIFT: Insights into the Origins of Contrast, 2021-2025
• Research Council of Finland:Brain-wide memory consolidation in sleep studied with simultaneous electrophysiology and ultra-quiet zero-echo time fMRI

Five most important recent publications: 1) Grandjean J et al . Nat Neurosci. 2023 Apr;26(4):673-681, 2) Paasonen E, et al. Event-recurring multiband SWIFT functional MRI with 200-ms temporal resolution during deep brain stimulation and isoflurane-induced burst suppression in rat. Magn Reson Med. 2022 Jun;87(6):2872-2884. 3) Paasonen J,. Whole-brain studies of spontaneous behavior in head-fixed rats enabled by zero echo time MB-SWIFT fMRI. Neuroimage. 2022 Apr 15;250:118924. 4)Sirmpilatze et al . Elife. 2022 May 24;11:e74813. Paasonen J, Neuroimage. 2020 Feb 1;206:116338.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/henkilo/olli.grohn/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/tutkimusryhma/biolaaketieteellinen-mri/

Kuopio BIU – Home

Professor Annakaisa Haapasalo is the head of the Molecular Neurodegeneration research group and a founding member of Finnish Frontotemporal Dementia Research Network, FinFTD. She also is the Chair of the Neurocenter Finland Kuopio Brain & Mind Regional Steering Group. Haapasalo’s research focuses on the molecular basis of genetic (especially C9orf72 repeat expansion-associated) and sporadic frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. A special focus lies in synaptic dysfunction, immune system alterations, and interaction of neurons and microglia in the disease pathogenesis of these diseases. Another important aim, in collaboration with clinical researchers, is to discover new biomarker candidates for improved and early diagnostics and prognostics and novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of FTD and other neurodegenerative diseases. In their studies, her group utilizes patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell-based models and other patient samples and data, cell and molecular biological and electrophysiological approaches as well as high-sensitivity immunoassays. Haapasalo widely collaborates on translational studies of different neurodegenerative disorders with top-level Finnish and international basic and clinical researchers.

Haapasalo has supervised 14 PhD theses to completion and currently supervises five PhD students and two postdoctoral fellows. She has obtained ~5 M€ of research funding from domestic and international sources and holds a PI or coordinating role in several projects. Examples of ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL are:

• EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND), 2022-2025. Prediagnostic early synaptic disturbances in neurodegenerative diseases (SynaDeg).
• Research Council of Finland, 2024-2028: Seeking improved diagnostics, new therapeutic approaches, and mechanistic understanding of frontotemporal dementia (SeekFTD).
• Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, 2024-2027: Changes in brain immune cells in different subtypes of frontotemporal dementia.
• Horizon EU, 2025-2029: Synapsing mental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases: Towards more effective diagnosis and management of psychiatric symptoms (SYNAPSING)

Five most important publications: 1) Huber et al. Neurobiol Dis. 2022;162:105584. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105584; 2) Rostalski et al. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021;83(3):1325-1332. doi:10.3233/JAD-210599; 3) Leskelä et al. Mol Neurobiol. 2021;58(11):5438-5458. doi:10.1007/s12035-021-02475-x; 4) Katisko et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2021;92(12):1305-1312. doi:10.1136/jnnp-2021-326487; 5) Katisko et al. J Neurol. 2020;267(1):76-86. doi:10.1007/s00415-019-09552-1

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/annakaisa.haapasalo/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/annakaisa-haapasalo-group-molecular-neurodegeneration/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/finnish-ftd-research-network-finftd/

X: @HaapasaloLab

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakaisa-haapasalo-7a45b09b/

Mikko Hiltunen, Professor of Tissue and Cell Biology has over 25 years’ experience in the research field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). He is the Head of Medical Cell Biology Program and the Director of UEF’s top-level strategic Neuroscience Research Community at UEF as well as the co-Principal Investigator of European DNA bank for deciphering the missing heritability of Alzheimer’s disease consortium (EADB). He leads several nationally and internationally funded research projects focused on AD and neurodegeneration. Importantly, he actively collaborates with the FinnGen project, which is a research project focused on genomics and personalized medicine, which comprises of genome and health data from 500,000 Finnish biobank donors to understand the genetic basis of diseases. His research group focuses on genetic and translational studies in AD to identify novel risk genes in AD and to characterize the underlying molecular mechanisms of identified gene variants in vitro and in vivo as well as novel human sample-based models. Prof. Hiltunen has applied FinnGen genetic data related to AD, vascular and frontotemporal dementia patients in different projects, which has led to the discovery of several novel risk gene loci. Lately, his research group has put the emphasis on the genetic and mechanistic aspects of microglia-specific genetic risk variants in AD as well as the molecular mechanisms of AD-associated co-morbidities, such as idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and type 2 diabetes. These studies have identified e.g., PLCG2 and TYROBP gene variants that either decrease or increase significantly the risk of having AD and consequently, revealed specific mechanisms underlying these risk variants in the cellular processes relevant for AD using different in vitro, in vivo models and human samples. Prof. Hiltunen has supervised over 20 PhD theses to completion, and he is currently a supervisor of five postdoctoral fellows and seven PhD students.

Examples on ongoing projects relevant for NOVEL are:

• Alzheimer’s Association Strategic- and private foundations-funded research project focused of functional characterization of AD-associated risk genes
• Academy of Finland-funded research and infrastructure projects focused on genetics and functional genomics of AD
• Functional genetic projects linked to FinnGen and Finnish biobanks, aimed at exploring the potential applications of new discoveries in personalized medicine

Five most relevant publications:

• Räsänen J….. Hiltunen M^#, Leinonen Ville#. Risk Variants Associated with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Genome-Wide Association Study in the FinnGen Cohort. Neurology. 2024 Sep 10;103(5):e209694 (^#shared last authors).
• Bellenguez C…Hiltunen M^#, New insights on the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s and related dementia. Nat Genet. 2022 Apr;54(4):412-436. (^# shared last author).
• Takalo M, Wittrahm R, Wefers B, Parhizkar S, Jokivarsi K, Kuulasmaa T, Mäkinen P, Martiskainen H, Wurst W, Xiang X, Marttinen M, Poutiainen P, Haapasalo A, Hiltunen M#, Haass C#. The Alzheimer´s disease-associated protective Plcγ2-P522R variant promotes immune functions. Mol Neurodegener. 2020; 15:52. (#shared last author).
• Natunen T, Martiskainen H, Marttinen M, Gabbouj S, Koivisto H, Kemppainen S, Kaipainen S, Takalo M, Svobodová H, Leppänen L, Kemiläinen B, Ryhänen S, Kuulasmaa T, Rahunen E, Juutinen S, Mäkinen P, Miettinen P, Rauramaa T, Pihlajamäki J, Haapasalo A, Leinonen V, Tanila H, Hiltunen M. Diabetic phenotype in mouse and humans reduces the number of microglia around β-amyloid plaques. Mol Neurodegener. 2020 Nov 10;15(1):66.
• Martiskainen H, Herukka SK, Stančáková A, Paananen J, Soininen H, Kuusisto J, Laakso M, Hiltunen M. Decreased plasma β-amyloid in the Alzheimer’s disease APPA673T variant carriers. Ann Neurol. 2017;82(1):128-132.

UEF Connects:

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/mikko.hiltunen/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/molecular-genetics-of-alzheimers-disease-hiltunen-lab/

X: @HiltunenLab

Professor Katja Kanninen is the head of the Cellular Neurobiology group. Her research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and especially on deciphering how environmental agents present in inhaled air impact brain health. Her group utilizes and further develops state-of-the-art human-based models, including patient-derived olfactory mucosal cells harvested from the rooftop of the nasal cavity, in direct connection to the inhaled air and the brain. Her group also uses animal models to understand the effects of environmental exposures on brain function. Her lab uses state-of-the art methods and models, including untargeted omics approaches, to discover new biomarkers and indicators of disease and exposure state.

Professor Kanninen has supervised 11 PhD thesis to completion and is currently a supervisor to one senior researcher, 3 postdoctoral researchers and 6 PhD students. Examples of on-going projects relevant to NOVEL are:

• Horizon Europe Research and Innovation action grant, 2025-2028
• Academy of Finland project grant, 2024-2028
• North Savo regional foundations project grant 2023-2025

Five recent important publications are:

• Mussalo L et al. Redox Biol. 2024 Sep;75:103272.
• Shahbaz MA et al. Environ Res. 2024 May 15;249:118451.
• Ivanova M et al. Neurobiol Dis. 2024 Feb;191:106410.
• Afonin A et al. Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Jan 24;14(1):55.
• Shahbaz MA et al. J Neuroinflammation. 2023 Dec 14;20(1):299.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/katja.kanninen/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/cellular-neurobiology/#information

X: @KanninenLab

Professor Miia Kivipelto, MD, PhD, is a specialist geriatrician with a PhD degree in Neurology, and a docent in Neurology and Neuroepidemiology.
She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Nordic Brain Network, a multidisciplinary research team of around 100 researchers and clinical staff based in Finland (University of Eastern Finland, THL), Sweden (Karolinska Institutet), and the United Kingdom (Imperial College London). Prof. Kivipelto is a member of a number of leading global dementia task forces, including the G8 Dementia Summit, OECD Mapping for big data in Alzheimer research, WHO ministerial meeting in Global actions against dementia and WHO dementia risk reduction guidelines working group.

Other appointments:

Professor of Clinical Geriatrics and senior geriatrician; Center for Alzheimer Research Karolinska Institutet; Stockholm, Sweden.
Director for Research & Development of Theme Aging; Karolinska University Hospital; Stockholm, Sweden.
Chair in Neuroepidemiology and Director of the Ageing Epidemiology Research Unit; Imperial College London; London, United Kingdom.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/miia.kivipelto/

Professor Reetta Kälviäinen is the Full Professor and Chair of Neurology in the University of Eastern Finland and the Director of the Kuopio Epilepsy Center in the Kuopio University Hospital. She serves in the executive committee of the European Reference Network for rare and complex epilepsies EpiCARE (of which Kuopio Epilepsy Center is a full member). She leads an active clinical epilepsy research group and large epilepsy biomarker study with the focus on clinical epileptology including identifying biomarkers of seizure activity, epileptogenesis, progression, and drug-resistancy in cohorts of newly diagnosed and drug-resistant chronic patients. These aspects of scientific projects are combined with therapeutic neuropharmacological and neurosurgical interventions. The group uses genetic data from carefully phenotyped patient cohorts to discover genes related to epilepsy syndromes and to characterize patient disease trajectories. Kälviäinen is an expert on rare, neurodegenerative progressive myoclonus epilepsies and has collected and deep-phenotyped the largest cohort of progressive myoclonus type 1 (EPM1) patients in the world. Kälviäinen has supervised 14 PhD thesis to completion and is currently a supervisor 5 postdoctoral fellows and 10 PhD students.

Five most important publications: 1) Kurki MI, et al Nature. 2023 Jan;613(7944):508-518. 2) Heyne HO, et al. Nat Commun. 2024 Jul 25;15(1):6277. 3) Montanucci L et al. Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 20;14(1):4392. 4) Larivière S, et al Nat Commun. 2022 Jul 27;13(1):4320. 5) Spitzer H, et al Brain. 2022 Aug 12: awac224.

UEF Connect:

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/reetta.kalviainen/

Clinical Epilepsy Research

X: @rkalviainen

Research Director Šárka Lehtonen leads the Human Brain Disease Modelling group and serves as Deputy Head of the Stem cell core facility. Her research focuses on developing advanced human cell-based models to unravel the complexities of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia. Her work integrates cutting-edge stem cell technologies, including the generation of brain-specific cell types from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), to explore disease mechanisms and evaluate therapeutic interventions. Central to her research is to uncover the earliest pathological events, like α-synuclein aggregation at the CNS and in the peripheral autonomic nervous system, particularly the enteric nervous system, to prevent neurodegeneration and develop innovative therapeutic strategies. With a strong focus on translational science, her group uses modern 3D and organ-on-chip systems, recreating the human brain environment. These models not only advance our understanding of disease mechanisms but also accelerate preclinical research, ultimately improving patient outcomes.  She has authored over 70 publications to date, including recent works highlighting the role of glial cells in neurodegeneration. In addition to her work in neurological diseases, her research investigates the impact of environmental pollutants, micro- and nanoplastics, on brain health. Her investigations explore how these particles cross the blood-brain barrier and their potential neurotoxic effects.

Lehtonen has supervised 21 M.Sc. and 2 PhD theses to completion and is currently a supervisor of 2 postdoctoral fellows and 5 PhD students. Examples of ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL include:

• The role of human microglia in the spread of alpha-synuclein pathology in Parkinson´s disease
• Investigating body-first Parkinson’s disease: role of gut microbiota in alpha-synuclein pathology transfer
• The impact of environment-polluting micro- and nanoplastics on Parkinson`s disease pathogenesis, focusing on inflammasome activation

Five most important publications: 1) Holmqvist S^*, Lehtonen Š^* et al. 2016 npj Parkinsonʼs disease 2:16009. ^* equal contribution; 2) Tiihonen, J. et al. 2019 Nature Commun 10(1): 3933; 3)  Kälvälä, S. et al. 2024 https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.10.561672; 4) Niskanen, J. et al. 2024 Glia 24626, 1098-1136; 5) Monikh, FA. et al. 2024 Nano today 59:102466.

Ville Leinonen, professor of Neurosurgery in University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Kuopio has been the leader of Kuopio NPH and Early AD research group in UEF and Kuopio University Hospital since 2010. He has 166 peer-reviewed original publications with H-index (Scopus) of 37. Currently, he is also the Head of the Department of Medicine at UEF.

His research group focus on idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), a neurosurgically treatable form of dementia but often with comorbid neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, iNPH is a unique window to living human brain of patients with wide spectrum of brain pathologies. The Kuopio NPH registry and tissue bank, lead by Leinonen, include brain biopsy from over 1000 patients treated due to iNPH but around half of them with various degree of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) related neuropathological findings. The bank contains also blood and CSF samples as well as fibroblasts from over 200 patients with detailed follow-up.

Leinonen has supervised 12 PhD thesis and is currently supervising 10 PhD students. He has secured around 2.2 M€ of research funding.

Ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL:

• Alzheimer Association Strategic fund 2024-2026. Multimodal analysis of human brain with AD pathology
• Alzheimer Association Strategic fund 2024-2026. Protective mechanisms of TMEM106B Ser185 variation in cellular and pathological processes relevant for neurodegeneration

Five most important publications: 1) Räsänen et al. Neurology 2024, doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209694; 2) Gazestani et al. Cell 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.005; 3) Luikku et al. JNEN 2024, doi: 10.1093/jnen/nlae083; 4) Dolan et al. Nat Neuroimmul 2023, doi: 10.1038/s41590-023-01558-2; 5) Raj et al. Lancet 2024, doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00686-X.

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/henkilo/ville.leinonen/

Professor Tarja Malm is the head of the Neuroinflammation research group and the “In vitro and Ex Vivo electrophysiology” core facility. Her research is centered in understanding the molecular events regulating the communication between microglia and neurons and the consequences of disruptions of this interaction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Her group utilizes and further develops state-of-the-art human-based models, including induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia and microglia-containing organoids. Her lab interrogates neuronal operational properties by using state-of-the-art electrophysiological measurements (patch clamp, multielectrode arrays) and evaluates synaptic properties using high-resolution imaging. Her lab has established a pipeline to analyze, in a layer and cell-dependent manner, the neuronal operational, transcriptional and molecular profiles in living human brain biopsies containing AD-related pathology. Her group also actively develops machine-learning based methodologies to analyze the signals obtained from these recordings and to integrate electrophysiological-, multilevel omics- and patient data from the same samples in order to understand how neuronal network properties and transcriptional signatures are altered during early development of AD and how the obtained readouts could be used to predict the disease progression.

Malm has supervised 18 PhD thesis to completion and is currently a supervisor 10 postdoctoral fellows and 8 PhD students. She has secured more that 10 million€ of research funding and is the coordinator for multiple international consortium projects. Example ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL are:

• ERC consolidator grant 2022 – 2027, HUMANE
• Alzheimer Association Strategic fund 2024-2026. Multimodal analysis of human brain with AD pathology
• Alzheimer Association Strategic fund 2024-2026. Protective mechanisms of TMEM106B Ser185 variation in cellular and pathological processes relevant for neurodegeneration

Five most important publications: 1) Giudie et al., PLoS Comput Biol 2024 Apr 12:20(4)e1012022; 2) Scoyni et al., Alzheimers Dementia 2023 Oct 12. doi: 10.1002/alz.1350; 3) Gazestani V et al., Cell. 2023 Sep 28;186(20)4438-4453. e23. 4) Jantti et al., J Neuroinflammation 2022, Jun 15;19(1):147. doi: 10.1186/s12974-022-02486-y, 5) Fagerlund et al., Cells. 2021 Dec 29;11(1):106. doi: 10.3390/cells11010106.

UEF Connect:

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/tarja.malm/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/in-vitro-and-ex-vivo-electrophysiology-core-facility/

https://sites.uef.fi/tarja-malm-group/

X: @LabMalm

Research Director Riikka Martikainen is the head of the Stem Cell Center at University of Eastern Finland. Her own research focuses on understanding pathogenetic mechanisms in rare monogenic diseases. Her group utilizes patient cells, genetic tools, and metabolic assays to generate state-of-the-art human-cell models to understand disease mechanisms and to develop platforms for treatment trials. Her group also hostess the pluripotent stem cell facility that provides services including reprogramming of somatic cells to other research groups.

Martikainen has supervised 1 PhD thesis to completion and is currently a supervisor 2 postdoctoral fellows and 3 PhD students. She has secured more that 3,5 million€ of research funding. Example ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL are:

• Developing an in vitro platform for Progressive myoclonic epilepsy type 1
• Role of Astrocytes in mitochondrial encephalomyopathy

Five most important publications: 1) Singh et al. Cells 2024 Jan 16;13(2):170. doi: 10.3390/cells13020170; 2) Singh et al. Stem Cell Res. 2023 Nov 7;73:103248. doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2023.103248; 3) Ryytty et al. Cells. 2022 Aug 19;11(16):2593. doi: 10.3390/cells11162593; 4) Oksanen et al. Glia, 2020 Mar;68(3):589-599. doi: 10.1002/glia.23741; 5) Hämäläinen et al. Nature Metabolism, 2019 1(10), 958-965. doi: 10.1038/s42255-019-0120-1.

UEF Connect:

Riikka Martikainen (riikka.martikainen@uef.fi)

Front page

My research covers data science from method development to applications. The most important fields I have developed methods for are matrix and tensor decompositions over non-standard algebras, redescription mining, and analysis of social networks. Their applications range from data mining, ecological niche modelling, the analysis of parliamentary candidates’ opinions, and the analysis of voluntary-based network services to health data analysis.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/pauli.miettinen/

I am a neuropathologist passionate about advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and epilepsy. My current focus lies in leveraging AI-assisted image analysis and diagnostics to push the boundaries of neuropathology. I work at the intersection of disciplines, collaborating closely with neuroscientists, computational scientists, imaging experts, and clinicians to drive innovation. I currently supervise three PhD researchers.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/tuomas.rauramaa/

 Research Director  Alejandra Sierra leads the Multiscale Imaging Group, specializing in the integration of multimodal imaging methods to study the brain at multiple scales. Her expertise supports advancements across various fields, driving innovation in combining imaging techniques to gain more profound insights into brain pathology. Her primary objective is to advance the field of MRI, with a specific focus on multidimensional MRI, for studying both healthy and diseased brain states. For that, her group actively develops to acquire imaging data from the same subjects—including in vivo and ex vivo MRI, light microscopy, and electron microscopy—from both experimental animals and human individuals to support data integration and predictive models of disease. Her groups is a multidisciplinary team disciplines such as neuroscience, physics, mathematics, and computer science.

Sierra has supervised 6 PhD thesis to completion and is currently a supervisor 4 postdoctoral fellows and 7 PhD students. She has funding from Research Council of Finland, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, and is part of several consortium projects.

Five most important publications:

1. Khateri et al. IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging, 10;1094-1110, 2024.
2. Koskinen et al. Neuropsychopharmacology. 48(10):1532-1540, 2023.
3. Narvaez et al. Front Physics. 9, 2022.
4. Abdollahzadeh et al. Commun Biol. 10;4(1):179, 2021.
5. Salo et al. Neuroimage. 15;225:117529, 2021.

UEF Connect:

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/alejandra.sierra-lopez/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/multiscale-imaging-group/

Associate Professor Eino Solje leads the UEF Brain Research Unit, one of the largest clinical trial centers in the Nordic region, where both academic and clinical projects are conducted. Additionally, he serves as Deputy Chief of Neurology at Kuopio University Hospital and heads the research group focusing on frontotemporal lobar degeneration and early-onset dementia. Solje’s research specializes in the clinical and genetic factors of frontotemporal dementia, with a particular interest in the C9orf72 repeat expansion. His work also extends to the clinical characterization and diagnostic development for early-onset neurodegenerative diseases, biomarker discovery, translational research, the use of real-world data, and ethical issues surrounding these fields. Collaborating closely with foundational science teams within UEF, he drives interdisciplinary research aimed at improving understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. He is actively engaged with key international research networks, including the European Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium (EADC), Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative (GENFI), FTD Incidence European Research Study (FRONTIERS), and Neuropsychiatric International Consortium on FTD (NIC-FTD). Solje’s team is pioneering the exploration of novel biomarkers, such as neurofilaments, for early disease detection, significantly advancing insights into neuroinflammation and genetic risk factors in neurodegenerative diseases. In collaboration with the UEF School of Law, Solje also addresses critical legal and ethical questions related to dementia, fostering interdisciplinary solutions at the intersection of neurology and law.

Solje has supervised 2 PhD thesis to completion and is currently a supervisor of 3 postdoctoral fellows and 11 PhD students. He has secured more than 6 million euros of research funding and is PI or clinical lead in several European Commission funded projects. Example ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL are:

• PREDICT-FTD, EU-Horizon grant (2024-2028)
• AD-RIDDLE, EU-IHI grant (2023-2028)
• SEEK-FTD, The Research Council of Finland Grant (2024-2028)

Five most important publications: 1) Krüger et al., Neurology 2024;103(7):e209793; 2) Logroscino et al., JAMA Neurology. 2023 Jan 30;80(3):279-86; 3) Benussi et al., Annals of Neurology. 2022;92(2)322-334; 4) Katisko et al., J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2021 doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2021-326487; 5) Huber et al., Molecular Psychiatry. 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01384-8.

UEF Connect:

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/eino.solje/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/frontotemporal-lobar-degeneration-and-early-onset-dementia/

https://sites.uef.fi/bru/?lang=en

X: @SoljeEino

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eino-solje/

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/alina.solomon/

Professor Heikki Tanila, MD, PhD, is the head of the Neurobiology of Memory research group and the “Neurophenotyping” core facility. His research is centered on understanding the cellular and network level pathological events that account for the most prominent symptom of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), loss of recent memory. His group works mainly on genetically modified mouse models of AD but also on patient data and samples. The research group combines behavioral testing of neural functions with in vivo electrophysiology and post-mortem histopathology. In addition, the Tanila group works in close collaboration with prof. Olli Gröhn’s group on functional magnetic resonance imaging of rodent disease models.

Prof. Tanila has supervised or co-supervised 24 PhD theses and 35 MSc theses to completion and published over 230 articles in international peer-reviewed neuroscience journals. Ongoing projects that are relevant to the NOVEL include:

– Sleep-related epileptic spiking in AD, Research Council of Finland 2021 – 2024
– Role of microglia in AD pathogenesis, Finnish Cultural Foundation 2024 – 2025
– New PP2A inhibitors in the treatment of AD related tauopathy, Erkko Foundation 2024-2026

Five most important publications: 1) Kamondi A et al. Nat Rev Neurol. 2024;20(3):162-182. doi: 10.1038/s41582-024-00932-4. 2) Antila S et al., Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2024;3:474-491. doi: 10.1038/s44161-024-00445-9. 3) Jin N et al. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2022;8(1):e12291. doi: 10.1002/trc2.12291. 4) Gotkiewicz M et al. Glia. 2024 Oct 22. doi: 10.1002/glia.24628. 5) Natunen T et al., Mol Neurodegener. 2020;15(1):66. doi: 10.1186/s13024-020-00415-2.

UEF Connect:

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/heikki.tanila/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/neurobiology-of-memory/

Professor Jussi Tohka heads of Biomedical Image Analysis Group at A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences of University of Eastern Finland. His research focuses on developing new methods to analyze brain imaging data and developing machine learning approaches for predicting the course of brain diseases at individual level.  Several software tools developed by him and his team are in wide use in medical imaging laboratories around the world. His broad multidisciplinary background allows him to conduct and supervise research in medical image computation, applied machine learning, and brain imaging. His current specific interests include prediction of future imaging markers, foundation models in brain image analysis, and combination of multiscale brain imaging data for improved imaging markers. He is part of Research Council of Finland’s flagship project FAME – Flagship of Advanced Mathematics for Sensing, Imaging and Modelling, which is a multidisciplinary centre harnessing applied mathematics and physics for the benefit of the society.

Tohka has supervised 12 PhD theses to completion and 5 post-docs and is currently the main supervisor of 4 PhD theses and 5 post-docs.  Example ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL are:

• Multiscale assessment of epileptogenicity in the human brain – for better diagnosis and treatment of drug-refractory epilepsy. Jane and Aatos Erkko foundation
• Pattern-Cog – Personalised ageing pattern for early risk detection and prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia in cognitively healthy individuals. EraPerMed.
• PRIMAL: Robust Framework for PRedictive IMage AnaLysis of Brain Change. The research Council of Finland.

Recent important publications: 1) Elaheh Moradi, Mithilesh Prakash, Anette Hall, Alina Solomon, Bryan Strange, Jussi Tohka. Machine learning prediction of future amyloid beta positivity in amyloid-negative individuals. Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, 16, 46, 2024. 2) Mohammad Khateri, Morteza Ghahremani, Alejandra Sierra, and Jussi Tohka. No-Clean-Reference Image Super-Resolution: Application to Electron Microscopy. IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging 10: 1094 – 1110, 2024. 3) Juan Miguel Valverde, Jussi Tohka. Region-wise Loss for Biomedical Image Segmentation. Pattern Recognition 136, 109208, 2023. 4) Vandad Imani, Carlos Sevilla-Salcedo, Elaheh Moradi, Vittorio Fortino, Jussi Tohka. Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm for Multi-View Feature Selection.  Applied Soft Computing 167, Part B, 112332, 2024; 5) Riccardo De Feo, Artem Shatillo, Alejandra Sierra, Juan Miguel Valverde, Olli Gröhn, Federico Giove, Jussi Tohka. Automated skull-stripping and segmentation with Multi-Task U-Net in large mouse brain MRI databases. NeuroImage 229, 117734, 2021.

Website: www.jussitohka.net

Professor Päivi Eriksson co-leads the Neuro-Innovation and Impact (NOVA) research team at the University of Eastern Finland Business School, which focuses on health-related innovation, and the Innovation Management research group, which concentrates on managing and leading innovation. Her research addresses broad questions of novelty and renewal, with a particular emphasis on co-creative processes and stakeholder collaboration to drive improvements. She has conducted extensive studies on science-based companies and academic entrepreneurship, with a specific focus on research collaboration in the life sciences and the health sector. Eriksson is an expert in multiple qualitative research methodologies, including intensive case studies, longitudinal research, autoethnographies, and co-research with scientists and patients. Beyond her involvement in the NEURO Research Community at UEF, she collaborates with academics from various disciplines, including social sciences, psychology, social psychology, law, and the humanities.

Supervised 20+ PhD researchers to completion and 12 postdoctoral fellows in different universities. She has secured more than 6 million€ of research funding.

Five most important publications:

• Eriksson, P., Montonen, T., Laine, P.-M., and Hannula, A. (2025) (Eds.) Elgar Encyclopedia of Innovation Management. Edward Elgar. doi:10.4337/9781035306459.
• Aromaa, E., Eriksson, P., & Koskinen, S. (2024). Collaborative Autoethnography of Cancer Patients’ Dynamic Sense of Agency. Qualitative Health Research. doi:10497323241285959.
• Kupiainen, P., Komulainen, K., Eriksson, P., & Räty, H. (2023). Is older entrepreneurship being silenced? A policy analysis of Finnish government programmes. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 35(9-10), 746-761. doi:10.1080/08985626.2023.2225035.
• Mills, A. J., Eriksson, P., Aromaa, E., & Palo-Oja, O. M. (2023). Mind the gap! Building bridges between institutional work and critical sensemaking. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 36(8), 71-85. doi:1108/JOCM-06-2023-0234.
• Eriksson, P., Hytti, U., Komulainen, K., Montonen, T., & Siivonen, P. (2021) (Eds.) New Movements in Academic Entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar. doi:4337/9781800370135.

Link to UEF Connect: Päivi Eriksson – UEFConnect

Link to LinkedIn: Päivi Eriksson | LinkedIn

L.L.D Kaijus Ervasti is professor of Law and society in the Center of Law and Welfare at the Law School of the University of Eastern Finland. He is one of the leading law and society and access to justice researchers in the Nordic countries.  The basic premise of the access to justice approach is that citizens’ rights must be effective and accessible.  It is not enough that citizens have formal rights; they should have access to their rights also in practice.

Ervasti is working with research on access to justice and realization of rights of vulnerable groups like older people, people with dementia and people with epilepsy. His research group has made both quantitative and qualitative studies and also used innovative methods like co-research and art based research.  Research group is multidisciplinary and includes legal scholars, sociologists, social psychologists and a human geographer. A novelist is also working on his project of realization of rights of people with dementia and she has written two novels of people with dementia using research material of the group. The research group has a lot of cooperation with patient organizations and other NGO’s.

Ervasti has led many research projects. Example ongoing projects relevant to NOVEL are:

• PI in project Shadows in paradise? realization of rights of the people with dementia in the welfare state, funded by Kone Foundation 2022-2025.
• Leader of one wp in the consortium project Safeguarding welfare in times of pandemics:  towards collaborative governance of syndemics 2021-2024.
• PI of project Access to Justice for marginalized groups of older people in ageing society 2023-2027, funded by Research Council of Finland.
• PI of project Realization of rights of people with epilepsy 2022-2026 funded by Rights for Patients foundation and Angelini Pharma Nordics AB.

Five most important publications:

• Nylund, Anna – Ervasti, Kaijus & Adrian, Lin (2018) (eds.). Nordic Mediation Research. SpringerOpen, Cham.
• Ervasti, Kaijus – Kotkas, Toomas – Issakainen, Mervi – Teiska, Minna & Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna (2023). In the shadow of the COVID-19: the wellbeing and rights of people living with dementia in Finland during the pandemic. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 92, 1473-1485.
• Näkki, Kaisa – Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna – Ervasti, Kaijus & Solje, Eino (2024). Evaluating the need of legal guardianship in people with dementia: gaining insight into professionals’ assessment criteria. International Journal of Law, policy and the family 38:1.
• Näkki, Kaisa – Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna -Ervasti, Kaijus –Halkoaho, Arja –  Nurmi, Sanna Maria –  Solomon, Alina – Suhonen, Noora-Maria – Portaankorva, Anne, M. – Krüger, Johanna – Solje, Eino (2024) Diverging medical and legal perceptions of the need for legal guardianship in people with dementia: A qualitative study. European Journal of Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.16334
• Issakainen, Mervi – Ervasti, Kaijus -Teerikangas, Minni – Kälviäinen, Reetta & Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna: Access to justice in the light of everyday problems and prejudice: A pilot study on the experiences of people with epilepsy in Finland. Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy 2024:120, 189-193.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/henkilo/kaijus.ervasti/

Simcha Jong is part-time Professor of Innovation management at the University of Eastern Finland Business School, working in the Neuro-innovation and impact (NOVA) research team. He is also professor of Management and Healthcare Innovation, and Deputy Director Research at the UCL Global Business School for Health in London, UK. He has a PhD in Social and Political Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and an MPhil in Management Studies from the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the intersection of science, innovation, and health and he has published extensively on R&D organizations and innovation ecosystems in the life sciences, including in areas where private companies traditionally have underinvested such as antimicrobial resistance, neglected tropical diseases, maternal and neo-natal health. Jong currently leads a MSCA ERC Consolidator project on the management of international R&D consortia to address global challenges.

He has supervised 9 PhDs to completion and 4 postdoc fellows in various universities. Currently, he is supervising 8 PhD researchers and 3 postdoctoral researchers.

Five most important publications:

Slavova, K., & Jong, S. (2021). University alliances and firm exploratory innovation: evidence from therapeutic product development. Technovation, 107, 102310.

Srivastava, A., Jong, S., Gola, A., Gailer, R., Morgan, S., Sennett, K., … & Rosenberg, W. (2019). Cost-comparison analysis of FIB-4, ELF and fibroscan in community pathways for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. BMC Gastroenterology, 19, 1-15.

Huang, H., & Jong, S. (2019). Public funding for science and the value of corporate R&D projects; evidence from project initiation and termination decisions in cell therapy. Journal of Management Studies, 56(5), 1000-1039.

Atun, R., Davies, J. I., Gale, E. A., Bärnighausen, T., Beran, D., Kengne, A. P., … & Werfalli, M. (2017). Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa: from clinical care to health policy. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 5(8), 622-667.

Lin, R. T., Lin, C. K., Christiani, D. C., Kawachi, I., Cheng, Y., Verguet, S., & Jong, S. (2017). The impact of the introduction of new recognition criteria for overwork-related cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: a cross-country comparison. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 167.

My research concentrates on costs, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health and social services provided for old people, economics of ageing, and the markets for health and social care and pharmaceuticals. In addition, my research explores the value of innovative brain health technologies for users, producers of technologies, and for the whole society. I am interested in examining prevalence and risk factors of poor brain health in Europe and innovative technologies with potential to promote brain health, to prevent brain health problems, but also to reduce symptoms and improve health, well-being, and quality of life of people with existing brain health conditions. Studying costs, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these technologies to produce evidence about their value for money to be used by users of technologies but also by producers and societal decision-makers responsible for allocating limited resources in health and social care.

Five most important publications:

Linnosmaa, I., Nguyen, L., Jokimäki, H., Saloniki, E. C., Malley, J., Trukeschitz, B., … & Forder, J. (2024). Quality of life outcomes for informal carers of long-term care service users in Austria, England and Finland. Quality of Life Research, 1-12.

Saijonkari, M., Paronen, E., Lakka, T., Tolmunen, T., Linnosmaa, I., Lammintakanen, J., … & Mäki-Opas, T. (2023). Promotive and preventive interventions for mental health and well-being in adult populations: a systematic umbrella review. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1201552.

Galizzi, M. M., Godager, G., Li, J., Linnosmaa, I., Tammi, T., & Wiesen, D. (2023). Economics of healthcare provider altruism. In Handbook of labor, human resources and population economics (pp. 1-23). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Auvinen, T., Linnosmaa, I., & Rijken, M. (2024). Do people’s health, financial and social resources contribute to subjective wellbeing differently at the age of fifty than later in life?. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 7, 100219.

Pitkänen, V., & Linnosmaa, I. (2021). Choice, quality and patients’ experience: evidence from a Finnish physiotherapy service. International Journal of Health Economics and Management, 21(2), 229-245.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/ismo.linnosmaa/

Associate Professor Tero Montonen is a co-leader of the Neuro-Innovation and Impact (NOVA) research team at the University of Eastern Finland Business School. His research primarily targets health-related innovations and the processes and practices within private, public, and third-sector organizations and networks. His work concentrates into innovation management, particularly focusing on organizing co-creative processes and fostering stakeholder collaboration to drive renewal, and radical innovations in organizations. He has conducted research on university knowledge transfer and university spinoff companies, and more recently, he has concentrated on research and innovation collaborations within the health sector.

He partners with researchers from the NEURO Research Community at UEF, the Global Business School for Health at University College London, and various other universities and disciplines. He has successfully led several research projects, securing €1 million in research funding. Currently, he supervises four PhD researchers and three postdoctoral researchers.

Research projects relevant to NOVEL:

• Global Health Research Networks, in collaboration with the Global Business School for Health at the University College London, UK.
• High-skilled internationals: bottom-up insights into policy innovation for work and entrepreneurship in Finland, in collaboration with Turku School of Economics Business School.
• Institutional Work Disrupting the Social Construction of Sleep Apnoea Diagnostics, in collaboration with academic units and companies in Kuopio area, Finland.

Five most important publications include:

Eriksson, P., Montonen, T., Laine, P.M. and Hannula, A. (2025) (Eds.) Elgar Encyclopedia of Innovation Management, doi:10.4337/9781035306459

Montonen, T., Eriksson, P., & Woiceshyn, J. (2021). It’s not a lonely journey: Research collaboration strategies for knowledge production with allies. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 20(2), 233-248.

Eriksson, P., Hytti, U., Komulainen, K., Montonen, T., & Siivonen, P. (Eds.). (2021). New Movements in Academic Entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Moilanen, J., Montonen, T., & Eriksson, P. (2021). The conflictual sense of commercialisation and academic entrepreneurship. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 21(2-3), 165-177.

Lehtimäki, H., Helén, I., Snell, K., Eriksson, P., & Montonen, T. (2019). Sustainable value creation in the commercialisation of innovation: The case of Auria Biobank. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 23(5), 451-465.

UEF Connect: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/tero.montonen/

NOVA Research Group: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/nova-neuro-innovation-and-impact-research-team/

LinkedIn: Tero Montonen

UEF Law School and co-leader of the “Neuro-Ethics and Law” research team of the Neuroscience research community (NEURO). Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen was appointed to the professorship of Law and Ageing in 2021 at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Law School to advance pioneering research into legal rights of older people and people with dementia. Her research has focused on Elder Law combining jurisprudence (Civil Law and Social- and Medical Law) with social and medical sciences. She has been closely involved in the European Law and Ageing network (ELAN) since its inception in 2019. She collaborates with academics from various disciplines, including social sciences, social psychology, clinical medicine, theology and the business studies.

Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen has supervised 3 PhD thesis to completion and is currently a supervisor of 4 postdoctoral fellows and 7 PhD students. She is involved in many research projects and has been involved in securing over 3 milj. € of competitive research funding.

Five most important publications:

• Näkki, K. – Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, A. – Ervasti, K. – Halkoaho, A. – Nurmi, S-M. – Suhonen, N-M. – Portaankorva, A. – Krüger, J. – Solje, E.. Diverging medical and legal perceptions of the need for legal guardianship in people with dementia: A qualitative study. European Journal of Neurology 31(8) 2024, e16334. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.16334
• Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, A. Autonomy of a person under guardianship: Self-determination in the theory and practice of guardianship law in Finland, pp. 215–233 in M. Donnelly – R. Harding – E. Tascioglu (eds.), Supporting Legal Capacity in Socio-Legal Context. Onati International Series in Law and Society. Hart Publishing
• Issakainen, M. – Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, A. – Heimonen, S. – Nedlund, A-C. – Astell, A. – Boger, J. – Rissanen, S. – Nygård, L. Experiences of influencing one’s own life when living with working-age dementia. Ageing and Society 43(8) 2021, pp. 1934–1953. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X21001525
• Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Anna – Saarelainen, Suvi-Maria. Funeral Wills and the Autonomy of a Dying Person: Experiences of Older People in Palliative Care and their Carers. International Journal of Law, Policy and The Family 35(1) 2021, ebab034. https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/ebab047
• Thorogood, – Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, A. – Brodaty, H. – Dalpé, G. – Gastmans, C. – Gauthier, S. – Gove, D. – Harding, R. – Knoppers, B. – Rossor, M. – Bobrow, M., on behalf of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, Ageing and Dementia Task Team. Consent recommendations for research and international data sharing involving persons with dementia. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 14(10) 2018, pp. 1334–1343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.05.011

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/anna.maki-petaja-leinonen/

https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/center-of-law-and-welfare/