People

Mikael Knip, MD, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and Research Director at the University of Helsinki. His research focuses on type 1 diabetes and other immune-mediated diseases in children and adolescents. He has published more than 600 original papers and over 170 other scientific articles.

Dr. Knip has been one of the Principal Investigators on the Finnish Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) study from its start in 1994. He has also led the international TRIGR (Trial to Reduce IDDM in the Genetically at Risk) study testing the hypothesis that weaning to an extensively hydrolyzed formula will reduce the frequency of beta-cell autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes in children at risk. This trial was completed in 2017 and the outcome showed no preventive effect of the intervention. The result implies that conventional baby formula can be used in the feeding of risk babies, if sufficient volumes of breast milk are not available. TRIGR was mainly funded by NIH.

The DIABIMMUNE study, funded by the EC 7th Framework Program for the period 2008–2014, set out to test the hygiene hypothesis in type 1 diabetes and other immune-mediated diseases. Recently, Dr. Knip and his research group have elaborated an interest in the intestinal microbiota and its potential role in the development of type 1 diabetes and autoimmunity. In this context, the interaction between the maternal microbiota and the developing microbiota in the infant at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes is a special area of interest.

Dr. Knip led the Academy of Finland Center of Excellence on Molecular Systems Immunology and Physiology Research from 2014 to 2017. He was the Director of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Program (DORP) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki from 2013 to 2018. He is or has been on the editorial board of a series of international journals, such as Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, European Journal of Endocrinology, Pediatric Diabetes, and Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Dr. Knip has been on the Scientific Review Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) from 2005 to 2008 and on the Research Council for Health, Academy of Finland from 2007 to 2012.