Human Genetics

This is a research area in which Finland has had long-term traditions of excellence. Recent developments in human genome sequencing require major international collaborations to identify all the genetic determinants and gene-environment interactions contributing to major diseases. This is therefore a significant challenge for mankind. FIMM, Finland and Europe are well-positioned to make major contributions to the field. Human genomics research at FIMM makes use of the large patient sample sets, and clinical and epidemiological data resources collected by THL. The disease focus of the FIMM human genomics research is in neuro-psychiatric disorders as well as cardiovascular genetics. In this respect, Leena Peltonen-Palotie is a co-director of the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Complex Disease Genetics (www.ktl.fi/diseasegenetics/), the Nordic Center of Excellence in Disease Genetics (www.ncoedg.org/). Human Genomics division also has a direct link to the key European centre in this field, the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, where Leena Peltonen-Palotie acts as a director.