Events

Join us in celebrating the esteemed career and birthday of Distinguished Professor Erkki Ruoslahti at the symposium at his alma mater, the University of Helsinki, Finland.  He earned his MD and PhD from the University of Helsinki in Finland in 1967. His honors include elected membership to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Molecular Biology Organization, the Japan Prize, Gairdner Foundation International Award, G.H.A. Clowes Award, Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Award, and Jacobaeus International Prize. He is a Knight and Commander of the Orders of the White Rose the Lion of Finland. Ruoslahti was awarded the very prestigious Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 2022 together with Richard Hynes and Timothy Springer on their discovery of integrins.

Event Details

• Date: August 7, 2025
• Venue: Haartman Institute Lecture Hall
• Address: Haartmaninkatu 3, Helsinki, Finland

This symposium will gather friends, colleagues, and alumni from across the globe to discuss recent advances in fields that have been profoundly shaped by Prof. Ruoslahti’s pioneering work:

• Extracellular matrix biology
• Integrin signaling
• Vascular homing peptides
• Targeted drug delivery

His discovery of fibronectin and the RGD sequence transformed our understanding of cell adhesion and led to important translational applications in cancer therapy. His concept of vascular “zip codes” and development of homing peptides have paved the way for targeted delivery of therapeutics, revolutionizing nanomedicine and vascular biology.

Symposium Program – Thursday, August 7, 2025

We look forward to your participation in this special event honoring Prof. Ruoslahti's legacy.

The organizing committee: Pirjo Laakkonen (University of Helsinki, Finland), Tero Järvinen (University of Tampere, Finland), Kazuki N Sugahara (Columbia University, USA), Tambet Teesalu (University of Tartu, Estonia)