Mart Saarma

Mart Saarma is an Academician of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and has served as its President since December 2024. He also holds multiple roles at the University of Helsinki, where he is the Scientific Director, Professor, and Laboratory Head at the HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology.

Saarma is a foreign member of multiple national academies, a member of Academia Europaea, and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). His research group has identified several receptors belonging to the GDNF family of neurotrophic factors, which play a crucial role in nervous system development and homeostasis. They also discovered a new neurotrophic factor, CDNF. Under his leadership, research focuses on the signaling pathways and biological functions of GDNF family ligands and CDNF/MANF neurotrophic factors in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Recently, his team identified the importance of RNA modifications for neuronal survival. Professor Saarma investigates the therapeutic potential of these proteins and their mimetics for treating neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease.

He is also a founder of several biotechnology companies, including Mobidiag, Herantis Pharma, Nanoform, and GeneCode.