Keyword: Feature article

Top-level skin cancer research acknowledging the individuality of cancer is conducted in Turku. In the studies, the characteristics of cancer are examined at the level of tracers and molecules. This opens up the opportunity to tailor the most suitable treatment for each patient. The studies are rewarding for both the researchers and the research subjects. At best, patients with advanced skin cancer benefit from the new medicinal products used in trials long before these products are in commercial use.

Brain researchers from Turku share a strong passion for research and an ability to utilise state-of-the-art technology. PET imaging has provided a window into brain mechanisms, e.g. the principles of addiction or the progress of multiple sclerosis.  Brain research is connected to the research and practice of patient care at the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital. This enables the researchers to have a firm grasp on what kind of research can help the patients and allows the quick utilisation of newly acquired expertise.

Where top-level research is conducted, the patients also receive first-rate care. Patients’ interest is also based on this same logic when they are selecting a hospital. In the joint orthopaedic research unit of the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, new and improved methods are developed, which in turn benefits the patients of Tyks Orto – a top-level medical clinic focusing on injuries and diseases of the body's musculoskeletal system. The latest research results from this spring are interesting also to implant manufacturers all over the world.

In Turku, child psychiatry recognises the inseparable connection between the psychological well-being of children and society. Factors such as the COVID pandemic, war, and migration have a significant impact on the mental health of children and adolescents. In addition to conducting cutting-edge research, Turku is actively developing means to make an impact on psychological well-being from an early stage within primary health care, starting from maternity clinics.

Young Alexander Mildner wanted to be an artist. His parents did not object to the idea but suggested that their son should first go to the University of Göttingen, from where he could transfer to an art school after a year. But things turned out differently. Today, Mildner is one of the world's most cited immunology researchers and an Associate Professor at the InFLAMES flagship of the University of Turku.  

How to respond to growing consumer expectations for ecological, plant-based or healthy food? How can societies ensure sustainable food production? Researchers are looking for solutions to questions that are rapidly transforming the entire food industry. The University of Turku launches a new degree programme in food technology in the autumn to meet the growing demand for experts in the industry.  

People living in the area of Finland have never been a homogeneous group. Our cultural, genetic and linguistic heritage all have a diverse background and are in a constant state of change. People, ideas, customs and diseases have always moved from place to place and left their mark on the population. In a major research consortium, researchers are studying how these marks are still visible in people.

Helena Åhman, who has studied conversational intelligence with hostage negotiators and at Harvard University, reveals the superpower of a skilled conversationalist: “If the other person feels like they are heard, miracles can happen.”