Professor, Doctor of Medicine and Surgery Pentti Sipponen died on December 2, 2023 in Espoo. He was 80 years old, born in Hämeenlinna on October 8, 1943.
Sipponen received his training as a pathologist at the Department of Pathology at the University of Helsinki. His doctorate in the field of liver pathology was completed in 1977. He worked as a pathologist at Jorvi Hospital from 1976, as chief physician of Jorvi pathology since 1980, and as corresponding chief physician of the field of pathology in the HUS area from 2004 to 2006.
Sipponen joined professor Maxim Siurala's research group in 1973. Together with a group from the University of Tartu, the group studied inflammation of the gastric mucosa, chronic gastritis, and the risk of people suffering from gastritis with gastric ulcer disease and gastric cancer in population-level patient records.
When in 1982 the Australians Robin Warren and Barry Marshall discovered Helicobacter pylori, which turned out to be almost the only cause of gastritis, the importance of the field of research around gastritis and the treatment practices of stomach diseases changed completely. Among other things, surgical treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers stopped almost completely. As a member of Warren and Marshall's research group, Pentti Sipponen and his spouse were able to go to Stockholm in 2005 to participate in the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Sipponen was a member and president of the European Helicobacter Study Group (ESHG), a key international group for Helicobacter research, 1999–2001. He was a member of the Editorial Board of many scientific publications and e.g. Honorary member of the gastroenterology associations of Japan, Poland, Hungary, Belgium and Finland. He received the title of professor in 1996. Sipponen's contribution to Finnish gastritis research is reflected in the slogan circulating in research circles: “Who is the well-known Finnish gastroenterologist who is not, however, a gastroenterologist?”
After retiring in 2006, Sipponen founded Repolar Pharmaceuticals Oy with his sons Lauri and Arno, which develops and manufactures skin wound care products for humans and pets. He was also involved in the Biohit HealthCare company developing the internationally sold GastroPanel laboratory test.
Sipponen approached the environment, people and phenomena with curiosity. His passions were research and new solutions. He was involved in many patents and authored more than 400 scientific publications.
Behind the scientist, Pentis always found a husband, father and grandfather who had a very warm attitude towards people and especially his family members. The professor was also a skilled performer of magic tricks for his friends and at family parties and knew how to play restaurant with his grandchildren as well as teach his sons tennis on the tennis courts that used to be in Jorvi Hospital's yard.
Lauri Sipponen
Arno Sipponen
The authors are the sons of Pentti Sipponen.
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