Academy of Finland
The Academy of Finland is the prime funding agency for basic research in Finland. It is a public funding agency, under the authority of the Ministry of Education. The Academy of Finland’s mission is to advance scientific research and its application, support international scientific cooperation, act as an expert organ in science policy issues and allocate funding to research and other advancement of science. The Academy works to contribute to the renewal, diversification and increasing internationalisation of Finnish research. Its operation covers the full spectrum of scientific disciplines.
Scientific research and the practical application of its results are vital to the development and welfare of society. The Academy is committed to strengthening its role as the prime funding agency for scientific research and as a major force in the Finnish research system.
The Academy works to promote the progress of science by allocating funding to the highest-quality and the scientifically most innovative research. The Academy funds research annually with around 280 million euros, which accounts for 16 per cent of government R&D spending. There are four Research Councils at the Academy of Finland, Research Council for Biosciences and Environment, Culture and Society, Research Council for Health and Research Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering. The Research Councils carry out Academy tasks and make the funding decisions within their respective field of expertise.
The Academy supports the research career in all its stages and encourages the mobility of researchers within the research system, business and industry and public administration as well as internationally. Universities are the Academy’s most important partner in its mission to advance scientific research. Internationally, the Academy cooperates with a number of other countries as well as with international funding organisations.
The Academy takes actively part in the public debate on science policy, the goals of science, its impacts and ethics. The Academy also promotes good scientific practices and strengthens the ethical sustainability of the research it finances (please see http://www.aka.fi/en-gb/A/).
Stem cell and regenerative medicine research are supported by the Research Councils for Health and Biosciences and Environment at the Academy of Finland with a budget of 280 million Euros. The aim is to promote Finnish stem cell and regenerative medicine research of the highest quality.
Academy of Finland funds research and researcher training concerning stem cells and regenerative medicine in different ways, including research posts, research grants and research programmes. The Academy opened a targeted call for stem cell research in year 2004. The call was organised together with The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Total funding for the Finnish stem cell research was approximately 2.5 million euros and 15 researchers were supported. The funding period of this call will end in year 2008.
Research using hESC lines is currently done in Universities of Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu and Kuopio. Timo Otonkoski (University of Helsinki) is involved in several projects with hESC lines, including EU-project ESTOOLS. He is responsible of Biomedicum Stem Cell Center and their main line of research concentrates on differentiation of endoderm and pancreatic or liver cells. They also study the role of TFG-beta growth factors and signals from extracellular matrix in maintenance and early differentiation of hESCs (Heiskanen et al. Stem Cells 25:197-202, 2007). Timo Otonkoski is also the Finnish representative in the ISCI projects and workshops and in the stem cell banking initiative. Timo Tuuri (The Family Federation of Finland) is the Finnish representative in new EU project hESCReg. Jari Koistinaho’s group (A.I.V. Institute / University of Kuopio) investigates human hematopoietic cells for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Seppo Yla-Herttuala's group has used cord blood derived stem cells for the treatment of ischemic muscle diseases. Also, regulated, third generation lentiviral vectors have been developed for the trasfection of ES cells in A.I.Virtanen Institute.
The focal area of research at Regea Institute for Regenerative Medicine (University of Tampere) is studying the combined effects of growth factors, electrical and mechanical stimuli and biomaterials in the differentiation of hESCs. The research team lead by Heli Skottman has derived and characterised four new hESC lines during year 2007. Heli Skottman’s group aims at the establishment and propagation of clinical quality hESC lines according to good manufacturing practice requirements without any animal-derived components (Rajala et al. 2007 Hum.Reprod. 22(5):1231; Narkilahti et al. 2007 Biomed Eng Online 12;6:11). Her group is also developing methods for differentiation of hESCs into retinal cells. Susanna Narkilahti’s group has developed and optimised methods for differentiating hESCs into neuronal cells, and further characterised these cells (Nat et al. 2007 Glia 55(4):385). They have also performed transplantation studies with the differentiated cells using animal models.
Katriina Aalto-Setala’s and Erja Kerkela's group has developed and optimised methods for differentiating hESCs into cardiac muscle cells and further characterised these cells. Regea's adult stem cell group, led by Susanna Miettinen, Riitta Suuronen and George Sandor has performed the first clinical treatments with adipose-derived stem cells in craniofacial bone applications in late 2006 and 2007. This group works in many areas of adult stem cell research, including dental, cartilage and soft tissue applications. Riitta Lahesmaa (University of Turku) has advanced gene expression profiling of several hESC lines. Seppo Vainio (University of Oulu) is also using the hESC lines in his research.
The other main funder within Finland is the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes) - http://www.tekes.fi/eng/
For further information on stem cell research within Finland please visit:
http://www.research.fi/en
http://www.tekes.fi/eng/
http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/?lang=en
