Events

October 03

Special Semnar by Prof Bruno Amati

A long journey with MYC: from basic research to preclinical development
Speaker: Prof Bruno Amati, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
Host: Juha Klefström, juha.klefstrom@helsinki.fi

Prof Amati is a world-renowned expert in the field of oncogenes, transcription and cancer. His scientific interests are especially focused on the mechanisms through which MYC regulates transcription, the identity of MYC-regulated genes, their function in growth control and tumorigenesis, as well as their potential as therapeutic targets. 
Synopsis:
The transcription factor MYC, encoded by the c-MYC proto-oncogene, is induced by mitogenic stimuli and drives the activation of biosynthetic and metabolic pathways required for cell growth and proliferation (1). The same pathways are deregulated in MYC-driven tumors and contribute to the malignant phenotype, but concomitantly elicit multiple stresses to which cancer cells must adapt during disease progression. Hence, MYC-overexpressing cells depend on a fragile equilibrium between conflicting signals, which creates opportunities to exploit synthetic lethality as a strategy for targeted therapeutic intervention (2). Over the years, my group has been committed to unravel MYC-regulated gene-expression programs in normal and tumor cells, identify key MYC effectors in tumorigenesis, and exploit this knowledge toward the development of targeted therapies. This seminar will provide an overview of our efforts, summarize the main concepts and illustrate recent breakthroughs in this area. 1. T. R. Kress, A. Sabò, B. Amati, MYC: connecting selective transcriptional control to global RNA production. Nat Rev Cancer 15, 593-607 (2015). 2. G. Donati, B. Amati, MYC and therapy resistance in cancer: risks and opportunities. Mol Oncol 16, 3828-3854 (2022).




Start time: 03/10/2024 11:00
End time: 03/10/2024 12:00
Duration:
Location: Biomedicum1, lecture hall 2, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290 Helsinki
Type: Seminar
Organization: UH, Faculty of Medicine
Contact person: juha.klefstrom@helsinki.fi
October 03

Special seminar by Professor Steve E. Hyman

Steve Hyman: “A decade’s journey from genetics to mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutics"
Please join us for an exclusive special seminar lecture by Professor Steve E. Hyman, Director of the Broad Program in Brain health from the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. Hyman is a leading scholar and a renowned expert in the intersection of molecular neurobiology and psychiatry.  Through his research and leadership Steve E. Hyman has intensified efforts to bring molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, and behavioral science all to bear, in integrated ways, on the understanding of mental illness and mental health. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the leading minds in psychiatric research.
Start time: 03/10/2024 11:00
End time: 03/10/2024 12:00
Duration:
Location: HUS Siltasairaala, Kruunuhakasali, Haartmaninkatu 4
Type: Seminar
Organization: UH, Faculty of Medicine
Contact person: olli.pietilainen@helsinki.fi)
October 03

Special seminar by Dr. Knut Woltjen

Applying gene editing in iPSCs to study human genetic variation and advance cell therapies
Dr. Woltjen is a long-term iPS researcher and biotechnical developer, now working at the iPS cell birthplace at Kyoto University Japan Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) as an associate professor. He will also serve as the opponent of Rocio Sartori Maldonado’s public PhD defense on how to modify and use iPS cells next week Friday, OCT 4 (pun intended).
If you would like to have a meeting with Dr Woltjen on Oct 3rd, please email kaisa.a.sarkkinen@helsinki.fi for expressing the interest.

Dr Woltjen’s selected publications on the topic:
• Niwa, R. ..Woltjen,K  Enrichment of allelic editing outcomes by Prime Editing in iPS cells. (2024) .03.19.585665 Preprint, BioRxiv.
• Maurissen, T.L. and Woltjen, K. (2020) Synergistic gene editing in human iPS cells via cell cycle and DNA repair modulation. Nature communications, 11, 2876.
• Matsuda, M,… Woltjen, K., … J. and Alev, C. (2020) Recapitulating the Human Segmentation Clock with Pluripotent Stem Cells. Nature, 580, 124–129.
• Grajcarek, J… Woltjen, K. (2019) Genome-Wide Microhomologies Enable Precise Template-Free Editing of Biologically Relevant Deletion Mutations. Nature communications, 10, 4856.
• Kim, S.-I., .. Woltjen, K. (2018) Microhomology-Assisted Scarless Genome Editing in Human iPSCs. Nature communications, 9, 939.
• Kaji, K.,…. and Woltjen, K. (2009) Virus-Free Induction of Pluripotency and Subsequent Excision of Reprogramming Factors. Nature, 458, 771–775.
• h
• Woltjen, K., …. and Nagy, A. (2009) piggyBac Transposition Reprograms Fibroblasts to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Nature, 458, 766–770.


Start time: 03/10/2024 14:00
End time: 03/10/2024 15:00
Duration:
Location: Biomedicum Helsinki 1, meeting room Skutsi
Type: Seminar
Organization: UH, Faculty of Medicine
Contact person: kaisa.a.sarkkinen@helsinki.fi
October 04

Kliinisen mikrobiologian perjantaisarja

Bakteriologian NGS-sekvensoinnin mahdollisuudet
Jenni Antikainen, sairaalamikrobiologi, kliininen mikrobiologia, HUS Diagnostiikkakeskus

Start time: 04/10/2024 12:00
End time: 04/10/2024 13:00
Duration:
Location: HUSLAB talo, 4 krs, Jälki G4101
Type: Seminar
Organization: HUS
Contact person: juulia.suominen@hus.fi
October 04

Dissertation: Rocio Sartori Maldonado

Rocio Sartori Maldonado, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine
Modified induced pluripotent stem cells for the study of cellular mechanisms and novel therapeutic alternatives

Opponent: Associate Professor Knut Woltjen, Kyoto University



Start time: 04/10/2024 12:00
End time: 04/10/2024 14:00
Duration: 2 hours
Location: Biomedicum1, lecture hall 3, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290 Helsinki
Type: Dissertation
Organization: UH, Faculty of Medicine
Contact person: rocio.sartorimaldonado@helsinki.fi