The TYKS Foundation has awarded its first major grant for diabetes research to MD PhD Jaakko Koskenniemi. The grant, worth EUR 100,000, was awarded for the first time from the Marita and Heikki Vaiste Fund, established in autumn 2025.
Diabetes has traditionally been divided into type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which differ in their underlying disease mechanisms. Research has shown, however, that there are several distinct disease subtypes under the umbrella of diabetes. The research project led by award recipient Jaakko Koskenniemi aims to identify the different underlying mechanisms of type 1 diabetes and to find ways to prevent the disease from developing. Thanks to advanced research technologies, preventing the onset of the disease is already becoming possible.
MD Jaakko Koskenniemi works as a resident physician at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Turku University Hospital (Tyks). The funded research project, A Genome-wide Perspective on the Disease Mechanisms of Type 1 Diabetes Subtypes, utilizes research data from the long-running DIPP study and the Finnish Pediatric Diabetes Registry. The DIPP study, conducted jointly by the Universities of Turku, Tampere and Oulu, is the world’s largest birth cohort study on type 1 diabetes.
- The aim of our project is to uncover disease mechanisms behind type 1 diabetes by studying genetic variation and thereby identify targets for new treatments. With the support of this grant, we will analyze the genomes of approximately 760 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and matched control subjects using microarray technology.
- This grant serves as leverage for an ongoing research project that has already received significant international funding and in which extensive exome and DNA microarray analyses have already been conducted. Thanks to the grant from the TYKS Foundation’s Marita and Heikki Vaiste Fund, we are able to carry out this project, which will also strengthen our competitiveness in applications for even larger EU research grants and other highly competitive international funding opportunities, says Jaakko Koskenniemi.
Background to the Major Grant
In addition to affecting the child diagnosed with diabetes, the disease always impacts the entire family and raises concern as well as a wide range of emotions and thoughts. A child’s diabetes diagnosis often comes as a shock to loved ones because it appears suddenly, even though the disease has usually been developing for a long time.
Marita and Heikki Vaiste’s oldest grandchild, Oona, now 28 years old, developed type 1 diabetes before the age of two.
– Supporting diabetes research in order to enable disease prevention and improve treatment is very important to us. We have supported the TYKS Foundation from the very beginning. It is important to support the Foundation’s work in promoting scientific research at Tyks, say Marita and Heikki Vaiste.
Marita and Heikki Vaiste donated EUR 500,000 to the TYKS Foundation in autumn 2025. The Foundation has now awarded the first EUR 100,000 major grant from the fund. The Foundation’s Executive Director, Minna Lukkarinen, says that annual research and project grants of EUR 50,000–100,000 will be awarded from the Marita and Heikki Vaiste Fund for research into type 1 diabetes and other diabetes research concerning children and adolescents.
Facts about Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is more common in Finland than anywhere else in the world. The disease is influenced by several genetic and environmental factors, but its exact cause remains unknown. More than one thousand Finns are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year, the majority of them children or young people. Treatment requires lifelong insulin therapy through injections or an insulin pump. Treatment methods have advanced significantly over recent decades, but diabetes management still requires careful monitoring and affects the quality of life of children and young people living with the disease.
Completely new treatments are currently emerging on the horizon in the care of type 1 diabetes. These therapies may make it possible to prevent or at least delay the onset of the disease. Koskenniemi and his research team are involved in this work.
TYKS Foundation
The non-profit TYKS Foundation supports, promotes, and sustains research in clinical medicine and other university-level health sciences at Turku University Hospital and throughout its surrounding region. Donations and bequests are a vital part of the foundation’s funding. A donation to the foundation is an invaluable contribution to medical research, helping researchers develop better treatments and improve the care of future patients.
Further information
MD Jaakko Koskenniemi, +358 40 549 8178, email: jajoko(at)utu.fi
Executive Director Minna Lukkarinen, +358 40 701 7876, email: minna.lukkarinen(at)utu.fi
Marita Vaiste, +358 40 537 3717, email: marita(at)vaiste.fi
Photo:Kasper Dalkarl
