From rubella to rotavirus, and beyond

It was customary for medical students with some ambition to seek their way to a biomedical research group. I was intrigued by viruses, and virology was one of the few subjects in medical school that I studied with real interest. Next, in late 1966, I was incredibly lucky to meet Antti Vaheri (later Professor of Virology) who had just returned to Finland from the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia with all the latest knowledge in rubella research. Rubella virus hemagglutination had been discovered and with hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test available I was soon running a diagnostic rubella laboratory which not only provided material for research but also created real income for the Department and our group. This set a precedent for my later professional life. Grants are good but it is better if the research funding can be obtained from outside. We developed the first rubella IgM test for the diagnosis of recent infection by separating the 19S (IgM) and 7S (IgG) antibodies using ultracentrifugation and testing the fractions using HI test. This was the mother of all IgM antibody diagnostics, and became a Citation Classic by Current