World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
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Best Female Scientists
2025
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Biology and Biochemistry
Finland
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
118
Citations
42957
World Ranking
622
National Ranking
8

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
118
Citations
43180
World Ranking
704
National Ranking
3

Medicine

D-Index
118
Citations
42796
World Ranking
4093
National Ranking
46

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Finland Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Finland Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Finland Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Finland Leader Award
  • 2017 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 2014 - Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
  • 2008 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2000 - Member of Academia Europaea
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Overview

Irma Thesleff is affiliated with the University of Helsinki in Finland and has contributed extensively to research in biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and medicine. Their work encompasses a range of subfields including molecular biology, genetics, rheumatology, cell biology, and urology. The scientific focus centers notably on bone and dental protein studies, dental development and anomalies, hair growth and disorders, RNA research and splicing, skin and cellular biology research, animal genetics and reproduction, and the genetic and clinical aspects of sex determination and chromosomal abnormalities.

Among their recent publications are:

  • Sox21 Regulates Anapc10 Expression and Determines the Fate of Ectodermal Organ, 2020, iScience
  • Abnormalities in Tooth Formation after Early Bisphosphonate Treatment in Children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, 2021, Calcified Tissue International
  • Transcriptomic Landscape of Early Hair Follicle and Epidermal Development, 2023, Cell Reports
  • Pivotal Role of Tenascin-W (-N) in Postnatal Incisor Growth and Periodontal Ligament Remodeling, 2021, Frontiers in Immunology
  • Delayed Tooth Movement in Runx2+/− Mice Associated with mTORC2 in Stretch-Induced Bone Formation, 2020, Bone Reports

Their frequent co-authors include Kan Saito, Frédéric Michon, Aya Yamada, Hiroyuki Inuzuka, and Satoko Yamaguchi.

The venues in which their work most often appears are:

  • iScience
  • Calcified Tissue International
  • Cell Reports
  • Frontiers in Immunology
  • Bone Reports

Their contributions have been recognized through memberships and fellowships in several prestigious organizations, including:

  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2017)
  • Member of the National Academy of Medicine (2014)
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2008)
  • Member of Academia Europaea (2000)
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Best Publications

  • Reiterative signaling and patterning during mammalian tooth morphogenesis.

    Jukka Jernvall;Irma Thesleff

  • Identification of BMP-4 as a signal mediating secondary induction between epithelial and mesenchymal tissues during early tooth development

    Seppo Vainio;Irina Karavanova;Adrian Jowett;Irma Thesleff

  • Epithelial-mesenchymal signalling regulating tooth morphogenesis.

    Irma Thesleff

  • Mutations in AXIN2 Cause Familial Tooth Agenesis and Predispose to Colorectal Cancer

    Laura Lammi;Sirpa Arte;Mirja Somer;Heikki Järvinen

  • Signalling networks regulating dental development

    Irma Thesleff;Paul Sharpe

  • Localization of Putative Stem Cells in Dental Epithelium and Their Association with Notch and Fgf Signaling

    Hidemitsu Harada;Päivi Kettunen;Han Sung Jung;Tuija Mustonen

  • Mechanisms of ectodermal organogenesis.

    Johanna Pispa;Irma Thesleff

  • Cloning of a novel bacteria-binding receptor structurally related to scavenger receptors and expressed in a subset of macrophages.

    Outi Elomaa;Maarit Kangas;Carin Sahlberg;Juha Tuukkanen

  • The life history of an embryonic signaling center: BMP-4 induces p21 and is associated with apoptosis in the mouse tooth enamel knot.

    Jukka Jernvall;Thomas Åberg;Päivi Kettunen;Soile Keränen

  • Regulation of organogenesis. Common molecular mechanisms regulating the development of teeth and other organs.

    I Thesleff;A Vaahtokari;A M Partanen

  • Evidence for the role of the enamel knot as a control center in mammalian tooth cusp formation: non-dividing cells express growth stimulating Fgf-4 gene.

    J Jernvall;P Kettunen;I Karavanova;L B Martin

  • FGF-, BMP- and Shh-mediated signalling pathways in the regulation of cranial suture morphogenesis and calvarial bone development

    Hyun-Jung Kim;David P. C. Rice;Päivi J. Kettunen;Irma Thesleff

  • Tissue Interactions in Tooth Development

    Irma Thesleff;Kirsti Hurmerinta

  • The enamel knot as a signaling center in the developing mouse tooth

    Anne Vaahtokari;Thomas Åberg;Jukka Jernvall;Soile Keränen

  • EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEINS (BMPS) IN THE DEVELOPING MOUSE TOOTH SUGGEST ROLES IN MORPHOGENESIS AND CELL DIFFERENTIATION

    Thomas Åberg;John Wozney;Irma Thesleff

  • Integration of FGF and TWIST in calvarial bone and suture development.

    David P. C. Rice;Thomas Åberg;Yan-Shun Chan;Zequn Tang

  • The genetic basis of tooth development and dental defects.

    Irma Thesleff

  • Tenascin is associated with chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation in vivo and promotes chondrogenesis in vitro.

    E J Mackie;I Thesleff;R Chiquet-Ehrismann

  • The Tabby phenotype is caused by mutation in a mouse homologue of the EDA gene that reveals novel mouse and human exons and encodes a protein (ectodysplasin-A) with collagenous domains

    Anand K. Srivastava;Johanna Pispa;Andrew J. Hartung;Yangzhu Du

  • Cbfa1 is required for epithelial-mesenchymal interactions regulating tooth development in mice

    Rena N. D'Souza;Thomas Åberg;Joel Gaikwad;Adriana Cavender

Frequent Co-Authors

Seppo Vainio
Seppo Vainio University of Oulu
Jukka Jernvall
Jukka Jernvall University of Helsinki
Markku Jalkanen
Markku Jalkanen Faron Pharmaceuticals
Eero Lehtonen
Eero Lehtonen University of Helsinki
Mart Saarma
Mart Saarma University of Helsinki
Hannu Sariola
Hannu Sariola University of Helsinki
Juha Kere
Juha Kere Karolinska Institute
Nobuyuki Itoh
Nobuyuki Itoh Kyoto University
Lauri Saxén
Lauri Saxén University of Helsinki
Thimios A. Mitsiadis
Thimios A. Mitsiadis University of Zurich

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