The University of Eastern Finland offers a wide range of medical research services, ranging from structural biological studies to pharmaceutical studies and research data. Pharmaceutical studies on osteoporosis and arthritis focus on developing new treatments for these common bone and joint ailments that have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. Bioinformatics helps analyse and understand biological data, such as genetic information, which is important in the development of new medicines and in the prevention of diseases. Biobank samples provide valuable information in medical research and diagnostics, promoting tailored treatments and better understanding of diseases.
Single-cell genomics enables understanding of the differences between cells and their functions, while structural biology services provide information on the three-dimensional structures of molecules to understand their functions and interactions. In viral gene delivery, viruses are used to transfer genes to cells, which is a key method in gene therapy and molecular biology. We use stem cells and biomaterials and mammalian model organisms in our research services, as they are important tools in biomedical research. Translational technologies, such as pharmaceutical design, combine the results of basic research with clinical application, aiming to develop new therapies.
The Biobank of Eastern Finland provides the samples it owns and administers and the related clinical information from specialised medical care to high-quality health science research and product development on the basis of a request.
The Biobank of Eastern Finland supports, for example, research on circulatory, metabolic, musculoskeletal, neurological and cancer diseases and mental health.
The biobank contains several different sample types, such as whole blood, serum, plasma, buffy coat, cerebrospinal fluid, FFPE slices and gene data produced from biobank samples.
Learn more: The Biobank of Eastern Finland
Get in touch:
Hanna Kujala, hanna.kujala@pshyvinvointialue.fi, puh. +358 44 717 9960
Bioinformatics Center provides expert services and training in data analytics, method development, and data management. Bioinformatics Center maintains server infrastructure, and coordinates collaboration between researchers in various fields on bioinformatics issues. The servers are applicable for high performance computing, large-scale data management, and computing environments can also be customized to suit for different kind of requirements.
Learn more: Bioinformatics Center
Get in touch:
Our service includes clinical drug trials on treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The bone mineral density measurement protocols can be implemented using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in the musculoskeletal research unit (KMRU). In addition functional capacity and muscle strength measurements are available. Bone formation, resorption, mineralisation and micro-architecture can be determined using quantitative bone histomorphometry.
Learn more: DXA Central Laboratory Services
Get in touch:
Heikki Kröger, professor, heikki.kroger@uef.fi, +358 44 717 2602
Our service includes clinical-epidemiological studies and analytics in extensive population studies as well as research related to the risk and protective factors, occurrence and costs of diseases. In addition, our services include planning, consulting, data management, analysis and publishing of epidemiological studies.
Get in touch:
In vitro and ex vivo electrofysiology core has instrumentation for measurement of single cell electrical and functional properties, including combined fluorescence imaging and patch clamp / intracellular recording systems for cell cultures and tissue slices as well as multielectrode array platform for measurement of neuronal circuits. We provide services on Ca-imaging on cells and slices, patch-clamp experiments, intracellular voltage recordings, cellular and subcellular high speed confocal imaging of ions or voltage, extracellular voltage recordings (cell cultures, small tissues) and MEA (microelectrode array) measurements of network activities.
We offer personal training, help and guidance for experimental planning, tissue or cell processing and data analysis.
Learn more: In vitro and ex vivo electrophysiology core facility
Get in touch:
Phenotyping Center provides research services in neurophenotyping in mice and rats, and cardiovascular phenotyping on mice, rats, rabbits and pigs. Services include behavioral, electrophysiological and histopathological analyses as well as in vivo imaging. Research can be done on a special disease model organism provided by the client or on one of the special disease models provided by BCK group.
Learn more: Phenotyping Center
Get in touch:
Single Cell Genomics core provides service in high-throughput single-cell RNA/ATAC-sequencing. In addition, we provide consultancy in study design and data analysis. Our technology is based on the nanodroplet-based Chromium™ Controller (10x Genomics) and Rhapsody (BD Biosciences) analysis system. The Single Cell Genomics core is located at A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences.
Learn more: Single Cell Genomics Core
Get in touch:
The stem cell core facility of Biocenter Kuopio is a comprehensive provider of human pluripotent stem cell services at A.I. Virtanen Institute, Kuopio campus of the University of Eastern Finland. Our stem cell core operates on a fee-for-service basis and provides custom induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derivation from somatic cells provided by the client. The standard cell type used is skin fibroblast. Special arrangements can be made for the reprogramming of other cell types. The reprogramming method is based on the four “Yamanaka factors” (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and C-MYC) and non-integrative Sendai-virus technology. We can also help with culture and maintenance of the cell lines and differentiation of the iPSCs into neurons, astrocytes and cardiomyocytes.
Learn more: AIVI Stem Cell Center
Get in touch:
Structural biology technology platform offers versatile high-resolution mass spectrometry services for protein analytics. An important area is native mass spectrometry in which the mass of protein is measured in native, folded form. This technology can be used, for example, in measuring protein-protein, and protein-ligand complexes. We also determine three-dimensional structures of proteins by using X-ray diffraction (protein crystallography). and study their functional mechanisms.
Learn more:
Get in touch:
Computer-aided drug design (CADD) is a part of modern and rational drug development process. In CADD, various computational methods are applied to speed up identification of new drug candidates, and to improve their properties. The drug design group utilizes both structure-based and ligand-based methods. They use various available and established molecular modeling methods such as docking, similarity searches, 3D-QSAR, pharmacophore modeling, homology modeling and molecular dynamics to identify novel hit compounds or optimize lead structures. Moreover, they study and evaluate the druggability of selected targets and aim to develop high-quality chemical probes useful for pharmacological studies and to identify new therapeutic strategies against cancer, antimicrobial drug design, age-related macular degeneration and method development in general.
Get in touch:
The National Virus Vector Laboratory at the A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences produces quality-assured adeno, lenti, bakulo and AAV virus vectors not only on laboratory but also on a wider scale comprising two GMP level and three BSL2/BSL3 level laboratories with their bioreactors (10–100 L), incubators and laminars, vector concentration equipment, cell banks and measurement devices needed for characterisation.
The National Virus Vector Laboratory is part of the EU’s ESFRI infrastructure, and it has produced GMP level vectors for phase I-II clinical studies for European multicentre studies. Furthermore, over the past decade, the National Virus Vector Laboratory has also produced clinical grade vectors for preclinical purposes for more than a hundred customers in Finland, the EU and outside the EU.
Learn more: National virus vector laboratory
Get in touch:
- Director: Seppo Ylä-Herttuala
- Adenovirus vectors: Johanna Laakkonen
- Lentivirus vectors: Petri Mäkinen
- AAV vectors: Nihay Laham Karam
