Dr. Heikki Hyöty is Professor of Virology at Tampere University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology. Prof. Hyöty’s group studies the role of viruses and other microbes in immune-mediated diseases including type 1 diabetes, asthma, allergy and celiac disease. The group has studied microbe-disease associations in prospective cohorts and translated innovations to develop new treatments and better diagnostics. A major initiative is the project developing an enterovirus vaccine that could prevent severe enterovirus diseases and type 1 diabetes. This project has generated a vaccine against Coxsackie B viruses which have been linked to type 1 diabetes. Professor Hyöty has coordinated several EU-funded projects and other international research consortia.