Participants
| Code: | 5 |
| Short name: | TURKU |
| Name: | University of Turku |
| Department: | Medical Biotechnology Department |
| Description: |
Consortium task: Prof. Kallioniemi is a member of the Management Team and coordinator of work package III (novel targets). The aim of prof. Kallioniemi's group is to identify novel drug targets for prostate cancer using functional genomics and novel high-throughput cell-based validation technologies. Work in this project involves functional genomics, CGH microarrays, application of high-throughput cell-based technologies for RNA interference, gene transfection, high-throughput microscopy. Track record: Olli Kallioniemi, MD, PhD (Olli.kallioniemi@vtt.fi) is currently Professor of Medical Biotechnology at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland with a joint affiliation at the department of Pharmacology and the Biotechnology Centre at the University of Turku in Turku, Finland. During 1995-2002, prof. Kallioniemi was a section head at the Cancer Genetics Branch, NHGRI, NIH. His group has had a significant program on genomic research on prostate cancer, both at the germline predisposition level, as well as investigating the somatic progression of hormone-refractory disease. The group has a 10-year track record in developing high-throughput technologies for cancer research, including comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), CGH microarrays, cDNA microarrays, tissue and cell-based microarrays. These tools have been applied to prostate cancer research to identify critical targets of genomic alterations, and mechanisms of tumor progression, particularly towards hormone-refractory prostate cancer. For example, the group has published a global overview of molecular events underlying the development of hormone-refractory prostate cancer in the CWR22 model system, invoking both specific androgen-dependent and independent mechanisms and pathways. Currently, Kallioniemi’s group is active on developing cell-based microarrays, RNAi and non-sense mediated RNA decay analyses and applying these to identify prostate cancer targets, as well as developing tools for rational drug design. Participants of his group in this project include: Merja Perälä, Ph.D. (merja.perlala@vtt.fi), senior scientist and lecturer with a 30% involvement in this project. Dr. Perälä is a senior molecular and cell biologist with expertise in hormonal signalling. Maija Wolf, Ph.D. (maija.wolf@helsinki.fi), staff scientist, with a 100% involvement in this project. Maija Wolf did her postdoc at NHGRI, NIH on prostate cancer genomics. In addition, the Medical Biotechnology Group at the VTT Biotechnology - University of Turku involves 15 people, as well as a large collaborator group in Finland, the EU and the US. |
| Address: |
University of Turku / VTT Technical Research Centre Medical Biotechnology Department PO Box 106 20521 Turku Finland |
| Website Organization: | http://www.utu.fi/ |
| Website Department: | |
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