The role of biodiversity material on the immune system
In his doctoral dissertation titled “Keeping the balance: How the immune system is shaped by environmental microbes and the allergic signals sensed”, Martín González-Rodríguez from Tampere University, Cytokine Biology Group investigated the role of biodiversity material on the immune system and how allergic signals are sensed.

His studies provided evidence on some of the key chemical and cellular responders and their mechanisms during exposure to environmental microbes. Experiments were partially carried out at Natural Resources Institute Finland in collaboration with BIWE. The discoveries open the opportunity to develop strategies in which modulation of the immune response can be done by natural exposure to environmental materials.
The thesis was publicly examined at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology at Tampere University on 17.1.2025. The opponent was Professor Outi Vaarala from the University of Helsinki and the custos was docent Ilkka Junttila from the Tampere University.
The thesis is available online: https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/162456