New Research Group at TBC: Immune cell navigation

Our research aims to understand how immune cells – and especially dendritic cells – navigate and move according to different molecular cues in changing tissue environments.  

Gradients of extracellular signaling molecules are a fundamental concept in biology, and gradients of chemotactic cytokines, and chemokines, position cells in development, malignancy, and immunity. Chemotaxis, including gradient sensing and directional migration according to it, is especially critical for leukocytes such as the antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs), which need to be recruited within short time frames and to migrate directionally over long distances. Efficient, directional DC migration is crucial for a functioning immune system, and defects in DC navigation can lead to various autoimmune disorders. Same guidance clues have been shown to be utilized also by certain metastasizing cancers. Nevertheless, how chemokine gradients are regulated and maintained in vivo to ensure efficient leukocyte migration in changing conditions has remained somewhat of a mystery.

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IMMUNOCAP: Positive, upward spiral for immunology research in Turku

 

The Research Council of Finland granted EUR 12.3 million to the University of Turku in the Profi 7 call in early 2023. The international panel of experts assessed that the University’s application was of high quality and ranked it among the best applications. The Profi 7 area on immunology, Capitalising Immunity to Combat Disease or IMMUNOCAP, received a full score of 6/6 points!

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New Affiliated Group at Turku Bioscience

Epstein-Barr virus is the founding member of the ever-growing list of oncogenic viruses and it has been linked to 2% of all cancer cases worldwide. Although better known for causing B-cell lymphomas, EBV infection has recently been associated with a subtype of gastric cancer. The definition of this molecular subtype of gastric cancer has opened the way to investigate how EBV infection leads to cancer in the gastric epithelium. Gaining this understanding will be key to developing more targeted therapies for this disease. New and effective therapies for gastric cancer are urgently needed as the prognosis is poor and mortality rates are among the highest for this type of cancer.

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Feeling the Force: A Dive into Mechanobiology in Paris

I had the opportunity to attend the 5th edition of the International Course on Cell Biology & Cancer on the topic “Cell and Tissue Mechanics” organized by Institut Curie from April 3rd to 7th, 2023. The course aimed to expose participants to cutting-edge concepts in the field of mechanobiology. Although a “course” on paper, all the speakers discussed ongoing and published studies from their labs, making it a perfect hybrid of textbook theory and its real-world application. The speakers had diverse backgrounds ranging from core biology to physics, and the structure of the talks allowed them to delve deep into their science, making the entire enterprise a remarkable learning experience. For me personally, it was possibly the best introduction to the application of mechanics in biology and biological systems and pertinent differential equations we biologists are so terrified of.

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New Affiliated Group at Turku Bioscience

From Health to Cancer: Charting the Gut’s Metabolic Shift using Preclinical Mouse Models

The power of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) and organoid models have radically transformed how we study cancers and the way we identify new targets for cancer treatment. These tools have provided us with a controlled environment to better understand the changes in energy production and metabolism that occur in cancer cells as they transform from a normal cell towards a cancerous state.

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Services by Turku Bioscience, part 3: Bioinformatics develops new methods for researching extensive medical materials 

Medical bioinformatics combines mathematics and computer science with bioscience and medical research. The services of the Medical Bioinformatics Centre are offered especially to biomedical and molecular biology researchers who produce extensive measurement data in their research.

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Shaping the Future of Immunology in Europe

Rahul Birdar, a Doctoral Student in Lahesmaa Lab, wrote about his trip to yEFIS 1st Symposium (10-11 November 2022).

It was my great pleasure to attend European Federation of Immunological Societies young Immunologist Network’s (yEFIS) first-ever conference. Theme of the symposium held in Germany was Shaping the Future of Immunology in Europe.

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What is SynGAP syndrome?

Co-applicants Michael Courtney and Lili Li of the Neuronal Signalling Lab at Turku Bioscience have been awarded a grant from the SynGAP Research Fund (SRF) and Leon and friends e.V. to study targetable defects of SynGAP1 protein variants. Both SRF US & EU are funding this effort.  

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Services by Turku Bioscience, part 2: Proteomics reveals the secrets of proteins

Proteomics is the study of proteomes, or the entire set of proteins produced by an organism. The Proteomics Facility at Turku Bioscience, led by Otto Kauko, offers researchers and companies world-class research equipment and up-to-date expertise on their utilisation.

​​​​​Dr. Otto Kauko joined Turku Bioscience as Head of Turku Proteomics Facility in 2021. Kauko, who did his doctoral thesis in Jukka Westermarck’s group, had been away from Turku for four years – in Stockholm, Cambridge and Helsinki – but a five-year fixed-term assignment as head of the Proteomics Facility brought him back to Southwest Finland.

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Structural biology in the era of artificial intelligence: Excitement and pitfalls

Fig. 1. Difference between an experimental structure determined recently in our group and the structure predicted by AI.

The accurate prediction of the shape (structure) of a protein from just its amino acid sequence, the so-called ‘protein folding problem’, has been one of the ‘Holy Grails’ of science and a computational challenge for the last 50 years or so. Recent advances, however, in the field of artificial intelligence have led to a breakthrough in protein structure predictions, creating a lot of excitement amongst researchers but also raising questions about the future of structural biology, in particular the need for experimental structure determinations.

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