Professor Riitta Lahesmaa was awarded Johnny Ludvigsson Prize for Outstanding Nordic Researcher. The prize is awarded annually by the Swedish Childhood Diabetes Foundation to a Nordic researcher who has conducted groundbreaking research on type 1 diabetes.

The award justification notes that Riitta Lahesmaa has significantly advanced the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the onset of type 1 diabetes. She was the first to demonstrate that activation of the immune system can be detected even before the antibodies associated with type 1 diabetes appear in the bloodstream. This discovery opens new possibilities for the early diagnosis and treatment of this autoimmune disease.

Lahesmaa has utilized the latest technologies in longitudinal studies of type 1 diabetes. She has identified changes related to disease progression in gene function, proteins, and genomic regulation. These findings could help explain why the disease progresses differently in different individuals. Lahesmaa’s research has also laid the foundation for precision medicine, where treatments can be more individually targeted based on the patient’s biological characteristics.

Riitta Lahesmaa is the director of the Turku Bioscience Centre and a professor of systems immunology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku. She leads her multidisciplinary research group that belongs to the InFLAMES flagship and has trained over 50 doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Her collaborators have included large international consortia such as INNODIA, EDENT1FI, DIABIMMUNE, and the Finnish DIPP study.

“Her scientific impact is both broad and profound. Her dedication, innovation, and leadership make her a truly deserving recipient of the Johnny Ludvigsson Prize,” the award citation states. The prize was announced on October 16.

Riitta Lahesmaa is delighted and grateful for the award. She expresses her gratitude to her team, collaborators, funding agencies, and most importantly, the study participants and their families.

“They have provided invaluable samples and made it possible for us to investigate why our immune system fails to protect us from this disease.”

Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but most cases are diagnosed before the age of 40. Of those affected, 70 percent are under 20 years old. Previously, the disease was commonly referred to as juvenile diabetes. Approximately 50,000 people in Finland have type 1 diabetes.

“The award is an important incentive for me and my research team to continue our work towards a world without type 1 diabetes,” says Riitta Lahesmaa.