Seppo Ylä-Herttuala receives honorary title of Academician of Science

Professor Maarit Karppinen, Professor Martti Nissinen and Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala have been awarded the honorary title of Academician of Science, the highest honour that can be bestowed on any individual scientist in Finland. President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb granted the titles at a presidential session on 9 October 2026.

Professor Maarit Karppinen’s field is inorganic chemistry, Professor Martti Nissinen’s theology and Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala’s molecular medicine. They are all highly distinguished scientists and scholars with a pioneering track record in their respective fields of research. Their work has wide-ranging relevance and impact across different sectors of society.

The title of Academician of Science can be held by no more than 16 distinguished Finnish scientists and scholars at a time. The title is awarded by the President of the Republic based on nominations by the Research Council of Finland (RCF).

A pioneer of gene therapy

Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala 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.

Ylä-Herttuala 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. His 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.

According to Ylä-Herttuala, bringing research findings and inventions into clinical use requires a long-term approach and close collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders. On this occasion, Ylä-Herttuala said: “What’s also required is a good dose of creativity, courage and the ability to endure and overcome the many, often unpredictable problems and challenges encountered on the road towards the ultimate goal. For me, this has been about getting gene therapies approved by the authorities and, ultimately, into clinical use for the benefit of patients.”

According to Ylä-Herttuala, as a result of long-term research, gene transfer methods have now been developed to a point where it has become possible to apply therapies on a large scale to treat various diseases.

“I do, in fact, expect that in the coming years we’ll get to see the launch of several gene therapies that are fundamentally new in their approach to the treatment of severe diseases. Finland has an extraordinarily strong international position in this field thanks to our long history of pioneering work, which began as early as the 1990s with the world’s first adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into human blood vessels.”

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.

Photos of the Academicians are available to the media in the RCF media bank.

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