Future Prospects of HelsinkiTallinn R

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Future Prospects of Helsinki-Tallinn RD
collaborationBiosciences Biomedicine Mart
Saarma17.11.2004
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Future of Biosciences

• Problems
• Possible areas of interaction
• Impact of genomic research
• Joint labs
• A new start in new areas?

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Problems
Estonian scientists know quite little about
Finnish biosciences and vice versa Science
traditions and interests have been rather
different Estonia has collaborated more with
Sweden, UK and USA Discussions on joint
strategies in RD have started only lately
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Problems
Estonian RD funding is very small For some time
Estonia had other priorities (EU, NATO) The are
virtually no significant special funds for joint
operations
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Joint problems

• More efficient and modern basic training
• Biologists should get serious training in maths,
  physics and chemistry
• A system for the recruitment of talented
  undergraduate and graduate students is needed
• There is no system for the recruitment of foreign
  graduate students there will be a shortage of
  labour soon! (China, Russia, India)

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Joint problems

• PhD training needs modernization PhD
  dissertation should be similar to UK and USA
  (Ph.D. - 4 years less papers, but with excellent
  quality)
• Postdoc training for 2-3 years in a foreing
  country shoud be a requirement for scientific
  curriculum
• Scientist should be a profession at the
  Universities tenure track system is needed
• More generous support for the true talents
  funding system is too equal

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Possible areas of interaction

• Do we need national M.Sc. training in all areas
  of science?
• Bologna system allows focusing on the areas we
  are strong
• We can start joint M.Sc. programs proposals for
  EU?
• We can also start joint graduate schools and make
  them attractive internationally or regionally
  (attracting talented Russian and Indian students)

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Possible areas of interaction

• Are joint Centres of Excellence possible?
• What could be the areas?
• Genomic research?
• Neuroscience?
• Systems biology?
• Biophysics NMR
• Or some completely new area like
  nanobiotechnology?

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Possible areas of interaction-genomic research

• Estonian Genome Project is now becoming public
• As Estonia has passed a law and had a public
  discussion it has clear advantage in time
• Can be very well linked to the Finnish excellent
  research in molecular genetics and epidemiology
• Is well in line with the EMBL affiliated
  Molecular Medicine Institute initiative
• The application of the results in Finland is
  possible
• I suggest to start a close partnership

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Joint operations in neuroscience and cancer
research?
We do not understand how brain functions We do
not know the molecular mechanisms behind the
memory and learning Molecular mechanisms of the
pathogenesis of the neuronal and psychiatric
disorders have remained elusive We are still far
from understaning how neurons survive, die or
make connections Both sides are strong in some
areas
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Joint start in completely new areas?

• We could select some very new areas of RD and
  make a joint fresh start?
• Systems biology could allow to use Estonian
  quite strong traditions in math and physics
• Nanobiotechnology is very new area for both
  parties

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Joint support?

• Support for the European Research Council concept
• Support for the EMBL affiliated Institute in
  Helsinki in genetic epidemiology
• Support to the local biotech companies, since
  they will soon nurish academic research

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At the interface of Academia and industry

• Why Finnish biotech industry is not yet
  successful?
• Too short time? Clearly yes!
• Too diffuse and lack of focus? Possibly?
• Not sufficient funding, especially foreign VC
  investment? Seems to be the case!
• Lack of major discoveries and innovations? Or our
  inability to identify them? At least partially
  both of them!

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Biotech companies USA/Suomi(market value)

• NB! Time has been truly very short!
• Main products of Amgen, Genentech etc. were
  developed around 1980 and came to the market
  about 10 years later!
• Finnish biotech companies mostly thanks to SITRA
  started to receive sufficient funding after 1990

• USA
• Amgen 61 400 milj.
• Genentech 17 000
• Chiron 7 000
• MedImmune 6 800
• Gilead Sci. 6 700
• Genzyme 6 300
• Biogen 6 000
• Applied Bios. 3 700
• Cephalon 2 700
• Ivax Corp. 2 300
• Altogether 120 000 milj.

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At the interface of Academia and industry

• Why Finnish biotech industry is not yet
  successful?
• Too many companies in too many areas?
• Biotechnology education just started and
  participation of Technical Universities very
  modest?
• Science Parks (HBSP as an example) seem to lack
  clear focus and have not sufficient expertise to
  promote start-ups, organize centralized services
  and attract foreign VC investment?
• Last Biotech evaluation recommendations have not
  been implemented (at least most of them)
• Technology transfer chain that was probably
  excellent for IT seems not to be optimal for
  Biotech

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At the interface of Academia and industry

• Why Finnish biotech industry is not yet
  successful?
• Too many companies in too many areas?
• Biotechnology education just started and
  participation of Technical Universities very
  modest?
• Science Parks (HBSP as example) seem to lack
  clear focus and have not sufficient expertise to
  promote start-ups, organize centralized services
  and attract foreign VC investment?
• Last Biotech evaluation recommendations have not
  been followed yet

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Challenges of neuroscience in Finland
The neuroscience community is small compared to
many countries (Sweden, Switzerland) RD in
several crucial areas is completely lacking or is
presented by single small groups recruitments
are needed Some areas are exceptionally strong
genetics of neuronal disorders, neuroimaging,
some parts of cellular and molecular neuroscience
and cognitive neuroscience - need integration
with other levels of research
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Some Challenges Problems in Biosciences

• We still do not understand the mechanisms and
  basic principles of protein folding and
  biocatalysis
• We lack theories on how proteins interact with
  nucleic acids
• We are still very far from understanding how
  different cellular processes are developed and
  integrated

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Systemic approaches

• integrated approach to biological processes
• evolutional approaches to biological processes
• quantitative approaches
• change of the research paradigm
• from theoretical predictions to experiments!

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Dimensions of systems biology

• Scale Specimens Data
  Data
• 
  collection processing
• super macro no problem problem
• macro no problem no problem
• micro problem problem
• nano BIG problem BIG problem

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Dimensions of systems biology

• Scale Specimens Data
  Data
• 
  collection processing
• super macro no problem problem BIG
  problem
• macro no problem no problem BIG
  problem
• micro problem problem
  BIG problem
• nano BIG problem BIG problem BIG
  problem

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Thank you for your attention