Pentti Tienari

Licentiate of Medicine 1989 University of Helsinki, Doctor of Medical Science 1993 University of Helsinki, Postdoc 1993-1996 University of Heidelberg, Associate Professor 1998 University of Helsinki, Specialist in Neurology 2005 University of Helsinki, Professor of Neuroimmunology 2013 University of Helsinki

Research: Mechanisms of multiple sclerosis, biomarkers of neuroimmunological diseases, genetics of ALS, disease mechanisms and preclinical treatment tests, genetics of neurodegenerative diseases. Achievements: The first genetic links to multiple sclerosis (Tienari et al. 1992 and 1993), mapping of the genetics of multiple sclerosis with an international consortium (2011 and 2013), finding somatic mutations on CD8+ lymphocytes in Finnish MS patients (2017), C9ORF72-mutation in the background of ALS (2011, included in the diagnostic patent), C9ORF72 revealing the pathophysiology of ALS and testing of antisense oligonucleotide therapy using stem cells from Finnish patients in collaboration with US researchers (2013), identifying risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia in the Finnish population (2015-19).