Without cyanobacteria, natural history wouldn’t be much to talk about. Now these billions of years old microbes help the development of bioenergy and medicines.
Institute for Molecular Medicine launched
The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) was launched last week at a meeting with Nordic co-operation partners.
FIMM is a research unit run jointly by the University of Helsinki, the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and the National Public Health Institute.
The aim of FIMM is to gather under one roof the best of Finnish molecular medicine, genetic and epidemiological research and to become a globally significant research centre.
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is an intergovernmental laboratory funded by 19 member states, operating on five sites in Germany, France, Italy and the UK. The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland will form a partnership network with its sister institutes in Norway (University of Oslo) and Sweden (Umeå University) as well as with the EMBL.
The leaders of the nordic centres held a meeting in Helsinki last week. Professor Bernt Eric Uhlin, Head of the Swedish Node, considered that expertise in genetic epidemiology is FIMM’s greatest asset, while the Umeå University has more competence in infection biology. The various research profiles will indeed be mutually complementary.
FIMM will predominantly specialise in research into the impact of the human genome, environment and lifestyle on the origin of national diseases. The goal is to discover new methods for the prevention and treatment of common national diseases. A specialist in national genome research, the Finnish Genome Centre will join FIMM.
Over forty genetic mutations leading to illnesses have so far been identified in the Finnish disease heritage. In international comparison, the Finnish disease heritage has been charted so meticulously that the data provide invaluable research material.
Research activities will start in FIMM early next year as soon as the new Biomedicum Helsinki 2 premises are completed. FIMM is currently looking for a director and will soon be recruiting staff. The various research teams will employ some 200 people. The current head of FIMM is Professor Eero Saksela.
FIMM website.
Text: Mikko Arvinen
Photo: University of Helsinki
3.4.2007
www.helsinki.fi/digitalcommunications
Translation: Valtasana Oy
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