Personal profile
Research Degree Supervision
If you are interested in studying for a PhD in this research subject area click here
For more details about the research topics, expertise and interests of this academic, click on the fingerprint icon
Google Scholar h-Index
20 from 2,162 citations
Last updated 23rd March 2026
Biography
I did my PhD at the Institute of Biotechnology and University of Helsinki, Finland, combining developmental neurobiology and glycobiology to study mechanisms of syndecan-3 mediated neurite outgrowth using mammalian models. As an EMBO Long-Term Fellow and subsequently as a Wellcome Trust Advanced Training Fellow at the University of Birmingham, I translated my cell biology and biochemistry background into the use of the nematode C. elegans as a genetic model organism. As an MRC New Investigator at the University of Liverpool, my research interest into glycosylated membrane proteins expanded from heparan sulphate proteoglycans to fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and Klotho signalling in development and metabolic physiology. In December 2012 I was appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Huddersfield.
Research Expertise and Interests
- Glycosylation as a regulator of development
- Metabolic physiology and disease
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Projects
- 1 Finished
-
C. elegans model to unravel the role of Klotho in ion metabolism and aging
Kinnunen, T. (PI)
1/01/15 → 31/12/17
Project: Research
-
Functional validity, role, and implications of heavy alcohol consumption genetic loci
Thompson, A., Cook, J., Choquet, H., Jorgenson, E., Yin, J., Kinnunen, T., Barclay, J., Morris, A. P. & Pirmohamed, M., 15 Jan 2020, In: Science advances. 6, 3, 12 p., eaay5034.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access50 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
KLB, encoding β‐Klotho, is mutated in patients with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
Xu, C., Messina, A., Somm, E., Miraoui, H., Kinnunen, T., Acierno, J., Niederländer, N. J., Bouilly, J., Dwyer, A. A., Sidis, Y., Cassatella, D., Sykiotis, G. P., Quinton, R., De Geyter, C., Dirlewanger, M., Schwitzgebel, V., Cole, T. R., Toogood, A. A., Kirk, J. M. & Plummer, L. & 6 others, , 1 Aug 2017, In: EMBO Molecular Medicine. 9, 10, p. 1379-1397 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access86 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Fibroblast growth factors as tissue repair and regeneration therapeutics
Nunes, Q. M., Li, Y., Sun, C., Kinnunen, T. K. & Fernig, D. G., 12 Jan 2016, In: PeerJ. 31 p., e1535.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access85 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Combinatorial roles of heparan sulfate proteoglycans and heparan sulfates in Caenorhabditis elegans neural development
Kinnunen, T. K., 23 Jul 2014, In: PLoS One. 9, 7, 8 p., e102919.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access19 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
The Cooperation of FGF receptor and Klotho is involved in Excretory Canal Development and Regulation of Metabolic Homeostasis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Polanska, U. M., Edwards, E., Fernig, D. G. & Kinnunen, T. K., 18 Feb 2011, In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. 286, 7, p. 5657-5666 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access20 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
Activities
-
Exploring the role of cell signalling co-factor, Klotho, in longevity and healthy lifespan
Kinnunen, T. (Speaker)
5 Sept 2019Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
-
PhD viva at the School of Biological Sciences University of East Anglia
Kinnunen, T. (Examiner)
4 Sept 2019Activity: Examination types › PhD Examination
-
Royal Society of Biology (External organisation)
Kinnunen, T. (Member)
2019 → …Activity: Membership types › Membership of a Society or Institute
-
Scientific Reports (Journal)
Kinnunen, T. (Reviewer)
2019 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Publication Peer-review
-
FGF/HSPG Signalling in C. elegans
Kinnunen, T. (Speaker)
29 Mar 2018Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk