Seppo Ylä-Herttuala (b. 1957) is a Finnish medical researcher and an internationally renowned pioneer in molecular medicine and gene therapy. Ylä-Herttuala has been a key figure in the development of Finnish biomedicine and gene therapy research.

He is particularly well known for his research into the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, the development of new gene transfer methods, and the successful translation of fundamental research into clinical applications. Ylä-Herttuala’s research group has produced results that have led to a number of internationally significant clinical trials in gene therapy in Europe and the United States.

His research work has had an exceptionally significant impact both scientifically and in society at large. He has played a key role in the development of industrial-scale gene therapy manufacturing, which has made gene therapies available to thousands of patients and created a new industrial sector in Finland. He has also raised awareness of gene therapy among the general public. Furthermore, Ylä-Herttuala has supervised more than 70 PhD students, and his former students now work as professors and research directors around the world. He is also named as an inventor on more than 20 patents, many of which relate to new applications of gene therapy.

Ylä-Herttuala has secured substantial international funding for his research, including several European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants, as well as Centre of Excellence and Flagship funding from the Research Council of Finland. He is the Director of the RCF’s GeneCellNano Flagship and has held several significant positions of trust in the international arena.

Ylä-Herttuala has also been awarded a number of prestigious honours, including Knight First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland, and the Outstanding Achievement Awards from the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy and the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. He is also a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, and in 2024 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Oulu.