Events
May
02
Special seminar by Dr. Katarzyna Walczewska-Szewc
Exploring small ligand interactions with prolyl
oligopeptidase (PREP) through molecular dynamics simulations
Speaker: Dr. Katarzyna Walczewska-Szewc (Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland)
Abstract:
Prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases (ND) due to its involvement in promoting protein aggregation and disrupting cellular function. Our current project focuses on understanding how small ligands interact with PREP, aiming to uncover insights into their binding mechanisms and potential downstream effects on protein-protein interactions of PREP, mainly with amyloids, commonly implicated in ND. In this study, we employ molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the binding dynamics of small ligands with PREP. Utilizing techniques such as enhanced sampling methods including MAZE and PATH metadynamics, we explore the structural determinants of ligand binding and their influence on PREP function.
Start time: 02/05/2024 14:00
End time: 02/05/2024 15:00
Duration:
Location: Biomedicum 1, seminar room B201a
Type: Seminar
Organization:
Contact person: timo.myohanen@helsinki.fi
Further information:
Online meeting link:
May
03
Kliinisen mikrobiologian perjantaisarja
Veripalvelun mikrobiologia Riikka Lehtisalo, infektioista vastaava lääkäri, Veripalvelu
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Start time: 03/05/2024 10:00
End time: 03/05/2024 11:00
Duration: 1 hour
Location: remotely
Type: Seminar
Organization: HUS
Contact person: kira.ranta@hus.fi
May
03
Dissertation: Laura Auvinen-Lintunen
Laura Auvinen-Lintunen, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, Doctoral Programme in Cognition, Learning, Instruction and Communicatio, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mental Health, Public Health and Welfare Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of Psychiatry
Mental imagery deficits in young violent offenders and individuals with recent-onset psychosis
Opponent: professoriJuha Holma, University of Jyväskylä
Start time: 03/05/2024 12:00
End time: 03/05/2024 14:00
Duration: 2 hours
Location: Metsätalo, sali 1, Unioninkatu 40
Type: Dissertation
Organization: UH, Faculty of Medicine
Contact person: laura.auvinen-lintunen@helsinki.fi
Further information:
https://helda.helsinki.fi/items/406ebb5b-241b-40f8-9342-525bc28bd727
Online meeting link:
May
08
FICAN webinar: prof Olli Lohi
Precision Therapy for Childhood Leukemia: Improving Outcomes and Reducing Toxicities
Speaker: prof. Olli Lohi, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital
Speaker: prof. Olli Lohi, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital
FICAN webinars are jointly organized by regional cancer centers. This webinar is organized by FICAN Mid- Sisä-Suomen syöpäkeskus.
The seminar will be held online (Microsoft Teams) and is open to everyone interested in cancer research. Teams link can be found below.
Abstract: Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common cancer among children, has traditionally been managed with chemotherapy regimens. While these treatments are effective, they often lead to significant toxicities and long-term side effects for survivors. The implementation of response-based risk grouping has been crucial in customizing therapies, thereby significantly enhancing outcomes and reducing treatment-related toxicities. The introduction of modern sequencing technologies has unveiled the complexity of the disease by identifying numerous genetically distinct subtypes, each with unique behaviors and responses to treatment. This shift towards personalized medicine is underscored by the exploration of immunotherapies and novel targeted agents for cases that relapse or show poor response, representing a considerable departure from conventional chemotherapy methods.
Our recent discovery involves the application of the general tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib as a targeted treatment for both T-cell and B-cell ALL. In particular, the effectiveness of a combination therapy that included dasatinib and temsirolimus for T-ALL was shown in patient samples and preclinical animal models. Additionally, the sequential treatment of B-ALL with an inhibitor of Wee1, a cell cycle regulator, and dasatinib was effective in eliminating an escape pathway for residual leukemic cells. Furthermore, in collaboration with European partners, we have begun to delineate the genetic landscape of slow responding leukemias within the second common subtype of ALL, expected to have a favorable outcome.
The importance of international collaboration is critical in hastening the development of novel treatments for childhood leukemias. The advent of immunotherapies as a frontline therapy modality represents the next frontier, with high hopes for achieving greater efficacy and reduced harm simultaneously.
Selected publications:
Zapilko V, Moisio S, Parikka M, Heinäniemi M, Lohi O. Generation of a Zebrafish Knock-In Model Recapitulating Childhood ETV6::RUNX1-Positive B-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Dec 13;15(24):5821. doi: 10.3390/cancers15245821. PMID: 38136366; PMCID:
PMC10871125.
Krali O, Marincevic-Zuniga Y, Arvidsson G, Enblad AP, Lundmark A, Sayyab S, Zachariadis V, Heinäniemi M, Suhonen J, Oksa L, Vepsäläinen K, Öfverholm I, Barbany G, Nordgren A, Lilljebjörn H, Fioretos T, Madsen HO, Marquart HV, Flaegstad T, Forestier E, Jónsson ÓG, Kanerva J, Lohi O, Norén-Nyström U, Schmiegelow K, Harila A, Heyman M, Lönnerholm G, Syvänen AC, Nordlund J. Multimodal classification of molecular subtypes in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2023 Dec 8;7(1):131. doi: 10.1038/s41698-023-00479-5. PMID: 38066241; PMCID: PMC10709574.
Laukkanen S, Veloso A, Yan C, Oksa L, Alpert EJ, Do D, Hyvärinen N, McCarthy K, Adhikari A, Yang Q, Iyer S, Garcia SP, Pello A, Ruokoranta T, Moisio S, Adhikari S, Yoder JA, Gallagher K, Whelton L, Allen JR, Jin AH, Loontiens S, Heinäniemi M, Kelliher M, Heckman CA, Lohi O, Langenau DM. Therapeutic targeting of LCK tyrosine kinase and mTOR signaling in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. 2022 Oct 27;140(17):1891-1906. doi: 10.1182/blood.2021015106. PMID: 35544598; PMCID: PMC10082361.
Mehtonen J, Teppo S, Lahnalampi M, Kokko A, Kaukonen R, Oksa L, Bouvy-Liivrand M, Malyukova A, Mäkinen A, Laukkanen S, Mäkinen PI, Rounioja S, Ruusuvuori P, Sangfelt O, Lund R, Lönnberg T, Lohi O, Heinäniemi M. Single cell characterization of B-lymphoid differentiation and leukemic cell states during chemotherapy in ETV6-RUNX1-positive pediatric leukemia identifies drug-targetable transcription factor activities. Genome Med. 2020 Nov 20;12(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s13073-020-00799-2. PMID: 33218352; PMCID: PMC7679990.
Start time: 08/05/2024 15:00
End time: 08/05/2024 16:00
Duration:
Location: remotely
Type: Webinar
Organization: Finnish Cancer Center (FICAN)
Contact person: anne.kairenius@hus.fi
Further information:
https://research.tuni.fi/hematology-and-oncology/about-us/