Research Groups and R&D Platforms: Preclinical development
R&D Platform:
Turku Center for Disease Modeling
TCDM is a research and research service organization at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, and is part of the Biocenter Finland “Model Organisms” network. TCDM provides state-of-art research facilities and expertise in studies in experimental animals to support both academic and industrial associated preclinical research. The facilities and expertise are also available for contract research.
The services provided by TCDM are always tailored according to customer’s needs. TCDM generates tumor xenograft and genetically modified mouse models for human diseases. Services using the animal models include pharmacological, dietary and surgical interventions as well as phenotyping analyses on our expertise areas: bone, cardiovascular, intestinal and thyroid diseases, obesity, oncology, neuroendocrinology and reproduction. Phenotyping analyses offered include histology, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy, hormonal measurements, in vivo imaging for live animals, for example PET/CT, magnetic resonance, ultrasound and optical imaging. For drug development TCDM services include several type of drug efficacy tests, pharmacokinetic analyses of drug compounds and in vivo biodistribution analyses using preclinical animal models. Moreover, TCDM Biostatistics unit offers know-how on the computational and mathematical analyses related to preclinical animal studies, including their experimental design and statistical analysis.
Cancer, Cardiovascular diseases, Disease models, Lead optimization, Obesity, Preclinical development
R&D Platform:
Turku PET Centre
Turku PET Centre is a Finnish National Research Institute for the use of short-lived positron emitting isotopes in the field of medical research.
The scientific research strategy of the Turku PET Centre involves six major topics: Cardiovascular and Metabolic research, Brain research, Cancer research, Preclinical studies and Drug development, Radiochemistry research and Data processing and image analysis.
Collaboration between academia and industry is also active. The studies are carried out together with basic scientists, dedicated physicists and radiochemists, experienced clinical investigators and other professionals.
Cancer, Cardiovascular diseases, Clinical development, Diabetes, In Vivo Diagnostics, Obesity, PET, Preclinical development
Research Group:
PET imaging of neuropathological changes in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease
Merja Haaparanta-Solin
mehaaso[at]utu.fi
Turku PET Centre, Preclinical Imaging,
University of Turku
Ageing-related diseases, Antibodies, Autoimmune diseases, Basic research, Biochemistry, Biomarker, Biomedicine, Cardiovascular diseases, Diabetes, Disease models, Drug target, Imaging, In Vitro Diagnostics, In Vivo Diagnostics, Inflammation, Metabolic diseases, Nanoparticles, Neurological disorders, Organic compounds, PET, Pharmacology, Preclinical development, Receptor, Target discovery
Research Group:
Imaging Alzheimer’s disease beta-amyloid pathology in transgenic mouse models using positron emission tomography
Francisco López-Picón
fralop[at]utu.fi
Turku PET Centre, Preclinical Imaging,
University of Turku
Ageing-related diseases, Biomarker, Biomedicine, Biopharmaceuticals, Clinical Medicine, Disease models, Drug delivery, Drug target, Epigenomics, Imaging, Imaging software, In Vitro Diagnostics, In Vivo Diagnostics, Inflammation, Molecular Biology, Molecular diagnostics, Neurological disorders, Pathology, PET, Pharmacology, Physiology, Preclinical development, Proteomics, Target discovery
Research Group:
Systems Molecular Engineering
Jianwei Li
jianwei.li[at]utu.fi
Department of Chemistry,
University of Turku
Atomic-force microscopy, Basic research, Biochemistry, Biomarker, Biomedicine, Biomolecular chemistry, Biotechnology, Cancer, Chemical Physics, Combinatorial chemistry, Drug delivery, Drug target, Electron microscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy, FTIR or RAMAN spectroscopy, Hit to lead, Imaging, Infection, Inflammation, Lead optimization, Medicinal chemistry, Microstructure analysis, Molecular modelling, Nanoparticles, Natural Compounds, Next-generation sequencing, NMR, Nucleic acids, Organic Chemistry, Organic compounds, Particle size analysis, Physico-chemical properties, Powder X-ray diffraction, Preclinical development, Proteomics, Screening, Structural Biology, Synthetic Biology, Synthetic chemistry, Thermal analysis, X-ray crystallography
Research Group:
Structural bioinformatics for drug discovery and development
Mark S. Johnson
finmark54 at icloud dot com
Biochemistry,
Åbo Akademi University
Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory
Ageing-related diseases, Autoimmune diseases, Basic research, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biomolecular chemistry, Biopharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Cancer, Chemical Physics, Computer Science, Diabetes, Drug target, Hit to lead, Inflammation, Inherited diseases, Lead optimization, Lung cancer, Medicinal chemistry, Metabolic diseases, Molecular modelling, Musculoskeletal disorders, Nucleic acids, Organic compounds, Pattern recognition, Personalized medicine, Physico-chemical properties, Preclinical development, Receptor, Signaling, Structural Biology, Surface area, Target discovery, X-ray crystallography