18.6.2025
The Research Council of Finland grants over €1.3 million for research on cancer, plankton and antimicrobial resistance
The Research Council of Finland’s Scientific Council for Biosciences, Health and the Environment has granted funding for Academy Research Fellowships, Clinical Researchers and Academy Projects. Three researchers at Åbo Akademi University receive funding for Academy Projects.
Guillaume Jacquemet is granted 600 000 euros for a project in cell and molecular biology. The STREAM-project aims to advance our fundamental understanding of cancer metastasis, focusing on on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the most aggressive cancers. Using cutting-edge technologies such as smart microscopy, microfluidic systems, proteomics, and in vivo models, STREAM will unravel how PDAC cells attach to and cross the endothelial barriers, to keep cancer cells confined within the bloodstream, where they will die due to the unfavourable environment and are more susceptible to therapies. You can read more about the grant decision here.
Jouko Peltonen at the Laboratory of Molecular Science and Engineering receives 253 644 euros for a project in chemistry. The project, which is headed by the University of Helsinki, aims to combat (global) antimicrobial resistance by building better understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing bacterial cell growth, and biofilm formation and disruption by small molecular antimicrobial agents and/or biofilm-degrading enzymes. You can read more about the grant decision here.
Conny Sjöqvist is granted 527 178 euros for a project in environmental and marine biology where researchers will resurrect resting cells of phytoplankton from the last 200 years from sediment cores collected from the seafloor across Europe. These cells can reveal how evolution has played out in the past in relation to increasing sea surface temperatures. Measuring evolution as it has occurred in nature will render a realistic understanding of how organisms have adapted to historical warming. You can read more about the grant decision here.
In their press release, the Research Council of Finland writes that “Academy Project Funding is to promote the renewal and diversity of Finnish science and to improve the quality and scientific and other impact of research. The aim is to attain internationally as high a scientific standard of work as possible and to support scientific breakthroughs and top-tier international research collaboration. The funding supports scientific renewal and strengthens future research skills, including through additional funding for doctoral education.”