The Starting Grant recipients investigate age-related inflammatory diseases, the significance of rye and buckwheat in the Middle Ages, the more versatile use of a blood test taken during pregnancy as well as novel therapies for diabetes and means to protect catalysts made from earth-abundant metals.
Five University of Helsinki researchers have been awarded Starting Grants by the European Research Council (ERC). The €1.5-million grants are awarded to talented early-career researchers who have already conducted outstanding research and show potential to become research leaders.
Better insulin-producing beta cells for treating diabetes
Diabetes is a growing global health concern that requires novel therapies. One potential therapy is based on pancreatic islets produced from stem cells, but the resulting insulin-producing beta cells remain immature for the time being.
Assistant professor (Faculty of Medicine) ERC-funded research project uses genome engineering to enhance the maturation and resilience of these cells.
The project can help develop increasingly effective and personalised therapies for diabetes. At the same time, it can improve patients' quality of life and reduce healthcare costs generated by diseases associated with diabetes. The project will also advance our knowledge of the development of cell replacement and gene editing therapies for other diseases.
What rye and buckwheat tell us about Mediaeval life
Academy research fellow Mia Lempiäinen-Avci's (Faculty of Humanities) PlantStories project studies the significance of rye and buckwheat to Northern European people in the Middle Ages. The project investigates why these crops specifically became staples and how their cultivation and use were influenced not only by the environment, but also by cultural choices, traditions and societal change.
The project helps to understand how humans have adapted to societal and environmental changes over the centuries, adapting their food production and plant use accordingly.
The history of plants cultivated in the past also provides a long-term perspective on the current discussion on the sustainability of food systems and diversified agriculture, as well as on why some plants remain important across generations.
Protecting catalysts with atomic layer cultivation
Green hydrogen can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen is produced with electrolysers that rely broadly on platinum metals. However, these metals are expensive and rare.
Postdoctoral researcher Miika Mattinen's (Faculty of Science) ERC-funded project develops fully platinum-free proton exchange membrane electrolysers using atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD makes it possible to protect catalysts and other components made from earth-abundant metals with nanometre-scale films.
Mattinen assumed the position of Assistant Professor at Aalto University on 1 September 2026.
Information on age-related changes in blood cells and their effect on health
The increase of inflammation in the body is part of normal ageing, and inflammatory diseases are a significant health challenge for ageing populations.
With age, hematopoietic stem cells, or stem cells that produce blood cells, accumulate genetic alterations. This phenomenon is known as clonal haematopoiesis. Senior researcher (Faculty of Medicine) research group investigates the significance of clonal haematopoiesis for inflammation associated with ageing.
The goal is to determine how clonal haematopoiesis affects the differentiation and functioning of immune cells, as well as to identify the effect of this phenomenon on the risk of inflammatory diseases in extensive population-level datasets.
A better understanding of inflammatory processes related to ageing may enable new personalised therapies for, for example, inflammatory diseases and cancer.
Testing carried out during pregnancy opens a window to maternal and foetal health
Every year, hundreds of thousands of pregnant women in Europe have a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT), a blood test used to screen for certain chromosomal abnormalities. The test only looks for what it was designed to find, leaving most of the genetic information contained in the blood sample unused.
Senior researcher (Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM) research project sets out to collect the unused data and determine what it says about the course of pregnancy and maternal health even after pregnancy. Since no new tests are needed, there are no additional costs or risks to the patient.
Among other things, the project can help understand why some pregnancies become complicated or end early. It can also help identify susceptibility to pregnancy complications already in the early stages of pregnancy and detect long-term health risks for the mother before any symptoms occur.
