Keyword: MediCity

An international team of researchers has discovered how the so-called tertiary lymphoid-like structures can help the human immune defence to find cancer cells and destroy them. Researchers from the InFLAMES research flagship of the University of Turku, Finland, participated in the study and the research article was published in the esteemed Cancer Cell journal.

New discovery on the causes of PAP lung disease can also offer solutions for treating obesity and heart disease. The research group of Associate Professor Alexander Mildner at the University of Turku, Finland, identified a genetic defect that causes the accumulation of lipids in the pulmonary alveoli.  

There are approximately 40 trillion cells in the human body and every one of them needs oxygen to survive. If the oxygen level drops, the cells must be able to sense the change and adapt to it. Sir Peter Ratcliffe discovered how this adaptation occurs. The discovery earned Ratcliffe and his associates the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019. Ratcliffe visited the University of Turku 25 August. 

The antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacterium is one of the most globally harmful bacteria that causes hospital-acquired infections. Researchers at the University of Turku have discovered that the bacterium spreads by attaching to surfaces using ultrathin stretchy fibers. The researchers also revealed how these fibers are formed on the bacterial surface and suggested new approaches to prevent bacterial infections. The new findings have been published in Nature, one of the leading scientific journals in the World.

A research group headed by senior researcher Jianwei Li at the MediCity Research Laboratory has explored a new type of materials called supramolecular plastics that would substitute the conventional polymeric plastics with an eco-friendlier material promoting sustainable development. The mechanical properties of the supramolecular plastic created by the researchers using liquid-liquid phase separation were comparable to conventional polymers, but the new plastic decomposes much more easily and would be easier to reuse.

Sigrid Jusélius Foundation has announced the outcome of the application of Senior Researcher grants in 2021. Dr. Jianwei Li, a group leader at the MediCity Research Laboratory, is one of the five awardees, and will receive 700 000 € to develop nanomaterials for cancer therapy from a systems chemistry perspective.

The Cancer Biology laboratories of Klaus Elenius and Kari Kurppa are looking for a doctoral candidate to join a collaborative project of the two laboratories in the University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

Researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, showed that the antibody treatment reactivates the immune defense in patients with advanced-stage cancer. The treatment alters the function of the body’s phagocytes and facilitates extensive activation of the immune system.