Group leader / PI
Inkeri is a docent (immunogenetics) with a passion for translational biomedical research and education. Inkeri studies genetics and function of complement system in complex inflammatory diseases and the manifestations of complement deficiencies in patients. Her research interests include genetic and immunological mechanisms in cardiovascular diseases and complications of human pregnancy.
Inkeri enjoys teaching and collaborates with several domestic and international research groups in reproductive epidemiology, complement studies in pregnancy, cardiovascular diseases, and rare genetic diseases. Inkeri is the enthusiastic PI of a truly translational group with medical professionals and molecular scientists represented at every Academic level. We use in-house built research protocols to study real life clinical phenomena in patient samples. We combine the big data approach and observations in FinnGen with hypothesis based research.
Postdoctoral researcher / Cardiology resident
Henna Komi is a medical doctor specializing in cardiology at HUS, Helsinki University Hospital. She graduated with an MD in 2021 from the University of Eastern Finland, where she also earned her PhD in 2022. Her doctoral research focused on translational gene therapy approaches for therapeutic angiogenesis in ischemic heart disease, using viral vectors and an intramyocardial delivery method.
Her postdoctoral research focuses on the immunological mechanisms of atherosclerosis and sex differences in atherosclerotic disease.
ORCID 0000-0001-5343-496X
Postdoctoral researcher
Shahan completed his PhD in Immunology at the University of Helsinki in 2024 under the supervision of PhD Haapasalo and Prof. Seppo Meri. His doctoral research focused on host–pathogen interactions, complement biology, and vascular inflammation, demonstrating how pneumococcal toxins contribute to vascular damage and HDL modification, and how immune responses against pneumococcal toxins associate with reduced inflammation in patients with atherosclerosis.
He is currently collaborating on a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) genetics project involving variant annotation, ACMG classification, and genetic risk stratification. Through this work, he has developed a growing interest in the genetic architecture of disease and is expanding his expertise in computational genetics, data analysis, and machine learning to integrate immunology with human genetics in translational research.
ORCID 0000-0001-9861-6441
Doctoral researcher
Mari Humalajoki’s key interests lie in Human Immunogenetics and Forensic Medical research. She graduated as BSc in Molecular Biosciences from University of Helsinki in 2020 and finished her studies as a Master of Medical Sciences with main topic in Forensic Science from Uppsala University in Sweden 2022. In addition, she is a MSc in Molecular and Analytical Human Biosciences from Helsinki University. Currently, she is researching inborn immune deficiencies under Inkeri Lokki and Seppo Meri at the Immunogenetics in Human Disease group. Her PhD explores central complement C3 deficient individuals and the function of their adaptive immune system, focusing on genetic and phenotypic assessments. Humalajoki’s thesis is funded by the National Doctoral Education Pilot based on the Immune System (ImmuDOCs).
PhD researcher
Zhijing li graduated as a Bachelor of Clinical Medicine from Guangzhou Medical University (2017-2022). She then earned a Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2022-2025). During her master's studies, her research focused on reproductive immunology, with an emphasis on the role, mechanisms, and intervention strategies of immune memory and reproductive aging in normal pregnancy and major pregnancy-related disorders. In 2026, she began her PhD at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, where her doctoral research investigates the molecular mechanisms of miscarriage in euploid and aneuploid pregnancies.
PhD researcher
Emilia Teppo is studying her fourth year of medicine at Helsinki University. She began working in the group as a research assistant in 2024 and has proceeded to writing a doctoral thesis under the supervision of Inkeri Lokki and Juha Sinisalo. Her translational research focuses on the fourth component of the complement system and its genetics in cardiovascular disease. Her work consists mainly of bioinformatic analysis and coding.
MD/PhD-student.
Ilyas Kaader is currently studying his third year of medicine at Helsinki University. Ilyas got accquainted with the group while doing a project about spontaneous coronary artery disease (SCAD). He is now working on the relationship between autoimmune diseases and coronary artery diseases.
Research Assistant / Laboratory technician
Lauri Snellman graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences with a Bachelor of Engineering degree specialization in biomedicine (2015). Since graduating, he has been working in both Lokki and Sinisalo research groups as a laboratory technician and research assistant with a focus on different laboratory methods and sample handling. His main tasks are assisting the researchers whenever his expertise is needed and taking care of the laboratory space and everyday functions.