Research Groups and R&D Platforms: Target discovery
R&D Platform:
Turku Metabolomics Centre
The Turku Metabolomics Centre (TMC) was established in the Fall of 2017, and currently comprises four analytical laboratories on the University of Turku and Åbo Academy campuses, with the primary focus on biomedical and clinical applications. TMC covers a broad range of analytical methods, useful for discovery studies, hypothesis-driven targeted studies as well as clinical applications in Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) setting. The methods include:
1. Targeted quantitative analyses by mass spectrometry (MS) of specific groups of metabolites, e.g. bile acids, endocannabinoids, amino acids, eicosanoids.
2. Global profiling of molecular lipids (lipidomics) and polar metabolites.
3. Diagnostic, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic applications in Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) setting.
4. Tissue metabolomics by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR).
5. How dietary intake affects blood metabolism.
TMC infrastructure currently includes 7 MS instruments (2 x UHPLC-QTRAP/QqQ-MS, 2 x UHPLC-QqQ-MS, 1 x GC-QqQ-MS, 2 x GC-QMS) and 2 NMR instruments (1 x 600 MHz and 1 x 400 MHz). The 400 MHz spectrometer is equipped with a high resolution magic angle spinning probe for the detection of metabolites in tissue and cell samples without the need for extensive sample preparation. The 600MHz instrument is equipped with a cooled sample handling robot with space for 300 samples allowing high throughput liquid NMR studies. Two new MS instruments also being purchased this year.
Basic research, Bioinformatics, Diagnostics, In Vitro Diagnostics, Machine learning, Metabolomics, NMR, Pattern recognition, R&D Platforms, Systems Biology, Target discovery
Research Group:
Cytoskeletal and survival signaling
John Eriksson
john.eriksson[at]abo.fi
Turku Bioscience Centre &
Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering,
Åbo Akademi University
Cytoskeletal and survival signaling
Atomic-force microscopy, Basic research, Biochemistry, Cancer, Diabetes, Diagnostics, Electron microscopy, High throughput imaging, Imaging, In Vitro Diagnostics, Metabolic diseases, Molecular Biology, Molecular Cell Biology, Nanoparticles, Natural Compounds, Natural products, Physiology, Proteomics, Receptor, Signaling, Super-resolution imaging, Target discovery
R&D Platform:
Screening Unit
The screening unit offers academic researchers and industrial customers a broad range of services for identifying and optimising bioactive molecules for the drug discovery process. These include molecular modelling and in silico screening, development of screening assays and compound library screens, in vitro and in situ hit validation, hit optimisation and SAR analyses. A suite of cell and tissue-based disease models for oncology and neurological diseases are available for further validation of optimised hits or for independent phenotypic screens. High-throughput kinetic assays of changes in morphology or intracellular signalling over time may be integrated into chemical, genetic or optogenetic perturbation screens. A library of reporters in gene-delivery vectors are available for this purpose. The unit also has experience performing screens and toxicological evaluations in small animal models.
Contact details
High-throughput screens, screen-compatible assays, high-throughput microscopy, libraries, optogenetics, cell-based neurological disease models:
michael.courtney[at]utu.fi
3D oncology models, phenotypic screens, high-content screens:
malin.akerfelt[at]utu.fi
Medicinal chemistry, virtual screening and molecular modelling:
olli.pentikainen[at]utu.fi
Assay development, Basic research, Disease models, High throughput imaging, Hit to lead, Lead optimization, Medicinal chemistry, Molecular modelling, R&D Platforms, Screening, Signaling, Target discovery
Research Group:
Alzheimers’s disease associated with metabolic diseases / Rare diseases
Ullamari Pesonen
ullamari.pesonen[at]utu.fi
Institute of Biomedicine,
University of Turku
Basic research, Biomarker, Biomedicine, Disease models, Drug target, Inherited diseases, Metabolic diseases, Neurological disorders, Personalized medicine, Pharmacology, Target discovery
Research Group:
Novel multitargeting therapies for neurodegenerative diseases
Timo Myöhänen
timo.myohanen[at]utu.fi
Institute of Biomedicine,
University of Turku
PREP in Neurodegenerative Disorders (Helsinki-group page)
Ageing-related diseases, Assay development, Basic research, Biomedicine, Diagnostics, Disease models, Drug target, Imaging software, In Vitro Diagnostics, In Vivo Diagnostics, MALS or SEC-MALS, Medicinal chemistry, Molecular Biology, Molecular modelling, Neurological disorders, PET, Pharmacology, Signaling, Target discovery
Research Group:
Recombinant antibodies and other bioaffinity molecules
Urpo Lamminmäki
urplammi[at]utu.fi
Department of Life Technologies,
University of Turku
Antibodies, Assay development, Basic research, Biomarker, Biotechnology, Cancer, Combinatorial chemistry, Diagnostics, Drug target, Fluorescence spectroscopy, Hit to lead, In Vitro Diagnostics, Infection, Lead optimization, Metabolic diseases, Molecular Biology, Molecular modelling, Nanoparticles, Next-generation sequencing, Ovarian cancer, Point of care, Prostate cancer, Screening, Synthetic Biology, Target discovery
