NLS University of Helsinki

Researchers from the University of Helsinki have developed a method that enables the activation of genes in a cell without changing the genome. The method can be used in directing the differentiation of stem cells and as processes in cancer biology. The method has been developed by researchers Diego Balboa and Jere Weltner, working on their doctoral dissertations at […]

A University of Helsinki research group has identified the positive effects of music performance on the gene expression profiles of professional musicians from the Tapiola Sinfonietta orchestra and Sibelius-Academy music university. Playing music enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission, motor function, learning and memory, according to the study. Some of the up-regulated […]

Parkinson’s disease sufferers have a different microbiota in their intestines than their healthy counterparts, according to a study conducted at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital. Researchers are now trying to determine what the connection between intestinal microbes and Parkinson’s disease is. “Our most important observation was that patients with Parkinson’s […]

Researchers from Finland and Estonia have identified four biomarkers that help to identify people at high risk of dying from any disease within the next five years. The researchers screened blood samples from over 17 000 generally healthy people for more than a hundred different biomolecules. The health status of these study volunteers was followed for […]

An extensive sample of patients revealed new drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis particularly in Eastern Europe. The evolution and contagion methods of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium which causes tuberculosis were under scrutiny in a major international study with particular focus on Russian tuberculosis patients. The study sequenced the genome of the tuberculosis bacterium based on 1,000 patient […]