The Health from Science (TERVA) Academy Programme seeks bold, new research initiatives that can solve health issues related to major public health diseases. The programme highlights the importance of scientific research in solving public health challenges. Professor Mika Rämet, who chaired the steering group of the programme, said: “The funded projects are highly competitive at an international level and implemented by truly high-quality consortia. The additional funding will ensure that the most successful projects can continue to aim to reach their full potential. The main funding criteria were the progress made so far, the scientific quality, innovativeness, novelty and impact of the research, and how the project implements the programme’s objectives.

Professor Laura Elo and academy professor Riitta Lahesmaa participate to a consortium coordinated by Professor Satu Mustjoki  exploring the disease mechanisms underlying rheumatoid arthritis and aiming to develop novel, individualised diagnostics and treatments to benefit both patients and society. “In a close collaboration with rheumatologists we have already succeeded in developing a mathematical model to predict drug-induced side-effects” says Professor Laura Elo and continues: “ We are enthusiastic about this opportunity to continue our fruitful collaboration in this consortium.”

Dr. Tapio Lönnberg is a participant in a consortium coordinated by Associate Professor Merja Heinäniemi developing new methods for mapping the inflammatory state in order to identify changes that may prolong inflammations. Dr. Tapio Lönnberg exploits single-cell sequencing analyses to identify cellular signatures predictive of cardiovascular disease. “We are excited about the immense amount of details revealed by our data so far, and look forward to following up on the results” says Dr. Lönnberg. The results of the research have wide potential applicability, because the inflammation state affects the progression of many diseases.