7 October 2022
M.Sc. Sanni Ruotsalainen's thesis focused on improving understanding of the genetic background of coronary artery disease (CAD) and its risk factors as well as improving the risk estimation for CAD 1) by developing statistical methods and tools used in multivariate genetic analysis of biomarkers, 2) by expanding the traditionally used biomarker set for coronary artery disease, 3) by studying an isolated population to identify high-impact variants either very rare or absent in other populations and 4) by identifying individuals in high- risk for CAD using both traditional and genetic risk factors.
The thesis was supervised by Prof. Samuli Ripatti and Dr. Ida Surakka.
14 February 2022
LL Elmo Saarentaus's thesis focused on investigating and comparing the contribution of rare and common genetic variance to complex traits. The studies of this thesis highlight distinct features of both rare and common variation and challenge the single gene hypothesis for complex traits.
The thesis was supervised by Aarno Palotie, Olli Pietiläinen and Mitja Kurki.
February 7, 2022
Image-based tissue phenotyping has been commonly used for histological classification. It also allows the direct visualization of the distribution and expression of functional molecules. In this thesis, Jie Bao developed a spatial image analysis tool package (Spa-RQ) and applied these tools to discover spatial phenotypic features in non-small cell lung cancer histotypes, contributing to understanding the heterogeneous nature of tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and drug sensitivities.
The thesis was supervised by Dr. Emmy Verschuren and Dr. Peter Horvath.
November 29, 2021
Functional profiling of tumor cells collected from cancer patients has the potential to tailor individualized cancer treatments. In this thesis, the translational potential of this strategy for non-small cell lung cancer was examined. Drug sensitivity and resistance testing were conducted using tumor-derived fresh uncultured or cultured cells from mouse models and clinical samples. The results demonstrate the clinical feasibility and utility of tumor-derived fresh uncultured or cultured cells for pharmacological research and for identifying individualized cancer treatments.
The thesis was supervised by Dr. Emmy Verschuren and Professor Krister Wennerberg.
Vishal Sinha: The DISC1 gene network in major mental illnesses in Finland
Date: 17 December, 2020
Supervisor: William Hennah
Date: 22 October 2020
Supervisors: Tero Aittokallio and Jing Tang