Participant 1. University of Helsinki (UHEL), Helsinki, Finland, Co-ordinator

The University of Helsinki (http://www.helsinki.fi) has a strong research emphasis. Out of more than 20 universities in the country, UHEL receives 24% of the total budget funding for universities, employs 21% of all professors, but hosts 57% of the national Centres of Excellence in Research, elected by international scientific panels. The University of Helsinki has been invited to be a member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a co-operation body for the leading European research universities. Scientists from three units of the Faculty of Pharmacy will participate in the project: (i) Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, (ii) Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, (iii) Centre for Drug Research. The CDR is a multidisciplinary research centre of the Faculty of Pharmacy. In addition, the Institute of Biotechnology in UHEL is also involved in MAREX.

Role in the project

• Scientific and overall co-ordination of the project (WP8)
• Sample logistics and data management (WP6)
• Medicinal and organic chemistry: optimization of the lead compounds and providing the WP3 with the chemical derivatives of the isolated pure compounds and other à la carte compounds requested by the Consortium (WP5).
• Bioactivity testing (WP 3)

Prof. Heikki Vuorela, Ph.D.(Pharm.)
Professor of Pharmacognosy
Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy

Email: heikki.vuorela(at)helsinki.fi

Expertise: His research in pharmacy covers especially the fields of drug discovery, chromatography and spectrometry of natural products.

Prof. Jari Yli-Kauhaluoma, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy

Email: jari.yli-kauhaluoma(at)helsinki.fi

Expertise: Jari’s expertise spans medicinal, organic and natural product chemistry.

More information: http://tinyurl.com/2868b7h

Dr. Paula Kiuru, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy.

Email: paula.kiuru(at)helsinki.fi

Expertise: Synthetic medicinal and organic chemistry, optimization of lead compounds, microwave-assisted synthesis, isotope-labeling

Dr. Päivi Tammela, Ph.D.(Pharm.)
Docent in Pharmaceutical Biology, Group leader
Centre for Drug Research, Faculty of Pharmacy

Email: paivi.tammela(at)helsinki.fi

Expertise: Bioactivity screening and in vitro assay development for drug discovery, expertise on optimisation tools and instrumentation typical for HTS

More information: Bioactivity Screening Group

Sofia Montalvão, M.Sc. (Biological engineering)

PhD student

Centre for Drug Research, Faculty of Pharmacy

Email: sofia.montalvao(at)helsinki.fi

Expertise: Antimicrobial screening

Docent in Biochemistry, Junior PI, Research Coordinator

Institute of Biotechnology

Email: tero.ahola(at)helsinki.fi

Expertise: Molecular and cell biology of RNA virus replication, screening and mechanistic studies of antiviral compounds

More information: Animal Virus Laboratory

Tiina Lipiäinen, M.Sc. (Biotech.)

Management Coordinator

Faculty of Pharmacy

Email: tiina.lipiainen(at)helsinki.fi

Expertise: Pharmaceutical biotechnology, especially formulation of protein pharmaceuticals.