The University of Turku and the Turku University Central Hospital (TYKS) have signed a cooperation agreement on the establishment of the Turku Brain & Mind regional network. The network promotes brain health research and cooperation in Southwest Finland. The regional networks of the Neurocenter Finland have been in operation since late 2021.
InFLAMES (Innovation Ecosystem based on the Immune System) is a Finnish research flagship that aims at identifying novel drug targets using the most modern technological platforms and finding novel diagnostic tools to identify the patients benefitting from personalised therapies.
This year BioCity Symposium is arranged on-site in Mauno Conference Centre, BioCity, together with InFLAMES Research Flagship 25–26 August 2022, with the title Solution is in Immunity. Registration is now open until 11 August 2022.
BioCity Turku is an umbrella organization supporting and coordinating research on life sciences and molecular medicine in University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University. BioCity Turku research programs strengthen the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research collaboration within the Turku campus. BioCity Turku asks for proposals for new research programs for 2022-2026.
Obesity risk factors of family background are associated with changes in the brain function, finds a study conducted at the Finnish Turku PET Centre. The results show that the function of neural networks regulating satiety and appetite is altered already before a person develops obesity.
Diabetes is a risk factor for cognitive decline. In a study of the University of Turku and Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the researchers observed that already a higher two-hour glucose level in the glucose tolerance test predicts worse performance in a test measuring episodic memory after ten years. Decline in episodic memory is one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Insulin is a key hormone in energy metabolism and blood sugar regulation. Normal insulin function in the body may be disturbed by e.g. overweight, leading to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In a Finnish collaborative study of Turku PET Centre and UKK institute, the researchers noticed that standing is associated with better insulin sensitivity. Increasing the daily standing time may therefore help prevent chronic diseases.
Doctoral Candidate Tuulia Malén from the University of Turku Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research (DPCR) won SANORD 3MT 2021 competition together with two other finalists.
Brain regulation of feeding behaviour traits has remained incompletely understood. In their latest study, researchers at the Turku PET Centre, Finland, discovered a connection between the function of the opioid system and food craving triggered by appetitive external stimuli.
Researchers from the Turku PET Centre and Technical University of Munich have discovered a new mechanism controlling satiation. According to the recently published study, the hormone secretin induces satiation by activating brown adipose tissue.