The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded funding of approximately one million euros to a research project led by Professor Jukka Westermarck, which aims to develop novel small-molecule drug candidates and use them to test whether inhibiting a single protein could influence the progression of three common diseases: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

The project is seeking ways to restore the activity of PP2A phosphatase – which is reduced in these diseases – to normal cellular levels by inhibiting the CIP2A protein, which suppresses it in these conditions.

The project will be carried out in the unique research environment of the Turku Bioscience Centre and will build on the Academy of Finland’s InFlames Flagship consortium. The project will be conducted in collaboration with several Finnish research groups. A key collaborator in small-molecule development will be Professor Antti Poso of the University of Eastern Finland and his research group. In addition, Professor Timo Myöhänen of the University of Helsinki will contribute expertise in Alzheimer’s disease, while the research group of Professor Risto Kerkelä at the University of Oulu will contribute its expertise in cardiac hypertrophy.

Thank you for the funding Novo Nordisk Foundation!

>>Read full press release in Finnish