The Neuroscience Center of the University of Helsinki has entered into a research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim on hu­man trans­la­tional mod­els.

The target of the collaboration is to accelerate innovative gene therapy for brain diseases with high medical need. The collaborators will work on improving human brain organoid models to study central nervous system (CNS) tropism of next generation AAV capsids.

Part of Boehringer’s Research Beyond Borders initiative

The 2-year project takes advantage of the Neuroscience Center’s expertise in stem cell research and aims to extend its know-how to advance the technology to a completely new level. The project is part of Boehringer’s Research Beyond Borders (RBB) initiative advancing emerging science and technologies, such as AAV-based gene therapies. RBB will therefore aim to accelerate the development of new research methods to select the next generation AAV capsids with selective tropism for the brain.

“We are extremely happy to enter such an interactive research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, a leading biopharmaceutical company,” says Professor Jari Koistinaho, Director of Neuroscience Center and the PI of the project. “While the program provides evidence of the potential impact of our cutting-edge technologies and expertise, it may also help opening a way for more-long term and fruitful co-operation.”

The Neuroscience Center

The Neuroscience Center is an international research unit within Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) of the University of Helsinki, a Nordic university with a strong commitment to life science research. The center aims at making fundamental discoveries about brain functions and especially translate research findings into improvements in the treatment, prevention and diagnosis of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

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