Wihuri Research Institute
The Wihuri Research Institute, founded and maintained by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, focuses on cardiovascular research. Located within the Biomedicum Helsinki center, the institute collaborates extensively with both Finnish and international research groups.
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The Wihuri Research Institute is located within Biomedicum Helsinki, a medical research and education center on the Meilahti campus in Helsinki, Finland. Since the beginning of 2024, the institute has been led by Professor Taija Mäkinen.
As of 2025, the institute hosts seven independent research groups. Its international team includes physicians, molecular biologists, biochemists, and laboratory technicians. In addition to its permanent staff, the institute offers research opportunities for doctoral candidates. It maintains active collaborations with both Finnish and international research groups and participates in several global research networks.
The Wihuri Research Institute is part of the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. In 2024, the foundation allocated approximately €2 million to support the institute’s operations, in addition to the institute securing external competitive research funding. The institute works in close collaboration with the University of Helsinki. Located on the Meilahti campus—one of Europe’s leading centers for medical science—it benefits from an excellent environment for clinical and translational research.
Research Program
The Wihuri Research Institute acts in the forefront of biomedical research. The research program at the Institute consists of both fundamental and translational biomedical research, aiming to achieve new understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of the vascular system to improve the treatment of various human diseases.
Since 2013, the Wihuri Research Institute has applied functional genomics, vascular biology and growth factor technology to translational studies of human diseases, particularly those in which blood or lymphatic vasculature plays a central role.
In parallel, the Wihuri Research Institute conducts basic research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the normal development, physiology and pathology of these vascular systems. Recently, the Institute has strengthened its position as a leading center for lymphatic vessel research, a rapidly expanding field in physiology and pathology.
Through collaboration with a strong network of expert partners, the Institute has developed advanced mouse models, gene transfer techniques, molecular and cellular analysis methods, and expertise in bioinformatics for gene expression and advanced imaging analysis. By bridging findings from mouse disease models with clinical material, supported by close collaboration with the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, the Wihuri Research Institute is paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries at the forefront of cardiovascular research.
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Professor
Taija Mäkinen
Lymphatic Biology and Pathology Group
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Academian
Kari Alitalo
Vascular Growth Factor Group
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Associate Professor
Riikka Kivelä
Vasculature in Cardiometabolic Disease Group
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Adjunct Professor, Academy Research Fellow
Sinem Karaman
Organotypic Vasculature Group
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Professor
Pipsa Saharinen
Vascular Stability and Cell Adhesion Group
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Professor
Katariina Öörni
Atherosclerosis Group
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Adjunct Professor, Academy Research Fellow
Kari Vaahtomeri
Lymphatic Endothelial and Leukocyte Guidance Group
Scientific Advisory Board
The scientific advisory board, appointed by the board of the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, evaluates the research activities of the Wihuri Research Institute and supports the foundation’s board in decision-making related to the institute.
In 2024, the advisory board was chaired by Professor Tomi Mäkelä. Its members include Professor Christer Betsholtz from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, as well as Academician Sirpa Jalkanen and Professors Timo Strandberg and Seppo Ylä-Herttuala from Finland.
History
The Wihuri Research Institute was founded in 1944 by Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. In its rules it was stated that the purpose was to “create conditions for Finnish scientists considered to be especially talented in the fields of natural sciences, medicine or technology, to develop their accomplishments as far as possible, so that, free from all other duties, they can devote themselves entirely to their research and by drawing benefit from all recent achievements of science, strive to create something new for the benefit of mankind.”
From 1945 to 2013 the Institute was located in the Salus-hospital donated by the Rytkönen sisters to the Wihuri Foundation in 1944. During its first decades, the Institute operated a small research hospital in addition to its research activities. The hospital activity was ended in 1983 to release funds for research. In 2013, the Wihuri Research Institute moved to the Biomedicum Helsinki research building at Academic Medical Center Helsinki.
During over 80 years of its operations, the Institute has had six directors who have each created their own research program for the Institute. The Institute has contributed significantly to the basic research of cardiovascular diseases.
Directors of the Wihuri Research Institute:
- Since 2024: Professor Taija Mäkinen
- 2013–2023: Academician Kari Alitalo
- 1997–2012: Professor Petri Kovanen
- 1983–1997: Professor Vesa Manninen
- 1947–1983: Professor Pentti Halonen
- 1944–1947: Professor Alvar Wilska