FibroHealth - Combatting Fibrosis in Chronic Diseases

Fibrosis Diseasome

Fibrosis Diseasome was a profiling theme (Profi3) of the University of Oulu's strategic research focus area “Molecular and environmental basis for lifelong health”. This project was a continuum of 50 years of strong ECM-related research at the University of Oulu. Fibrosis Diseasome addressed fibrosis as a risk factor in the etiology of complex chronic diseases and unhealthy aging. The research programme ended in 2022. Currently, an ongoing research programme under the same thematic lines is Fibrobesity - Preventing Fibrosis Related to Obesity.

The Fibrosis Diseasome research programme included the research input of over 30 principal investigators in the Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Humanities, and Oulu University Hospital. The theme was supported by the strategic research organization Medical Research Center Oulu and focus institutes Biocenter Oulu and Eudaimonia.

The general aims of Fibrosis Diseasome were to facilitate

1. personalized medicine according to fibrosis risk,
2. health promotion and recommendations to prevent fibrosis, and
3. economic growth in diagnostics, drug development, and eHealth supporting treatment and prevention of fibrosis.

The specific objectives were to

1. establish the genetic architecture and molecular pathways underpinning fibrosis and specify the causal pathways to fibrosis,
2. characterize and understand the interaction between genetic and modifiable risk factors of fibrosis and its underlying preclinical phenotypes,
3. establish biomarkers (proteomics, metabolomics) and clinical measures of fibrosis,
4. provide novel technical solutions to monitor fibrosis, and
5. examine the potential socio-cultural factors involved in fibrotic disorders and provide guidelines for improving well-being.

You can learn more about fibrosis research at the University of Oulu from the Fibrosis research video (duration 5 minutes).

Contact

Leader: Professor Johannes Kettunen, Scientific Director of Biocenter Oulu, Research Unit of Population Health

Ali Mobasheri (Professor, Fibrobesity)
Eija Pirinen (Associate Professor, Fibrobesity Tenure Track)
Renata Prunskaite-Hyyryläinen (Assistant Professor, Fibrobesity Tenure Track)
Daniela Ungureanu (Associate Professor, Fibrobesity Tenure Track)

Riikka Arffman (2021-)
Ismail Celik (2021)
Priyanka Choudhary (2023-)
Alice Dini (2022-)
João Henriques (2023-)
Eve Hyrkäs (2022-)
Emmi Kapiainen (2023-)
Kateryna Kubaichuk (2023-)
Outi Kummu (2021-)
Mikko Kärmeniemi (2022-)
Juulia Lautaoja-Kivipelto (2022-)
Mikko Myllykangas (2021-)
Marjukka Nurkkala (2021-)
Marika Paalanne (2023-)
Kalle Pehkonen (2022-)
Zahra Sarmadian (2023-)
Subodh Sharma (2022-)
Ghulam Shere Raza (2023-)
Anita Wagner (2022)

Note: The list of researchers is not complete. For update requests, please contact fibrohealth@oulu.fi. For research topics, please click the names.

Zhi Jane Chen
Lauri Eklund
Mikko Finnilä
Jukka Hakkola
Heini Hakosalo
Timo Hautala
Ritva Heljasvaara
Karl-Heinz Herzig
Reetta Hinttala
Janne Hukkanen
Valerio Izzi
Juhani Junttila
Timo Jämsä
Riitta Kaarteenaho
Peppi Karppinen
Risto Kerkelä
Antero Kesäniemi (emer.)
Johannes Kettunen
Thomas Kietzmann
Vesa Kiviniemi
Marko Korhonen
Raija Korpelainen
Lari Lehtiö
Johanna Magga
Aki Manninen
Laure Morin-Papunen
Hanni-Mari Muukkonen-van der Meer
Jaana Nevalainen
Roger Norum
Harri Oinas-Kukkonen
Mourad Oussalah
Petteri Pietikäinen
Taina Pihlajaniemi
Terhi Piltonen
Mirka Rauniomaa
Justus Reunanen
Lloyd Ruddock
Tuire Salonurmi
Markku Savolainen (emer.)
Sylvain Sebert
Aleksei Tiulpin
Olavi Ukkola
Seppo Vainio

The FibroHealth Research Community is for researchers at the University of Oulu whose research is related to the Fibrobesity Research Programme themes and topics relevant to FibroHealth, such as fibrosis or obesity. Membership is open to researchers from all faculties, from biomedical to human sciences, and researchers at any stage of their career, from PhD and postdoctoral researchers up to the professorial level.

To become a member of the FibroHealth Research Community, please fill in this registration form. It only takes a little time and you get a lot in return!

Why should I sign up? - Benefits of becoming a member :

• Receive regular and useful information about our activities and opportunities through the FibroHealth researchers' digital workspace
  
• Contribute to and participate in monthly Fibrobesity's Research Hubs and create new opportunities for collaboration
  
• Participate in targeted funding calls organized by the Fibrobesity programme
  
• Automatically receive the Fibrobesity newsletter sharing stories and possibilities in the FibroHealth Research Community

By working together we can achieve more and take fibrosis research at the University of Oulu to the next level!