Biocenter Finland

Microfossils reported from Archaean BIFs most likely were liposome-like protocells, which had evolved intracellular mechanisms for energy conservation but not for regulating cell morphology and replication.

The role of energy intensive natural resource-based industries (ENRI) is crucial for decarbonisation. Targeting carbon neutrality by 2035, Finnish government commissioned low-carbon roadmaps from sectors of industry. The four biggest emitters, technology, chemical, forest and energy industries, roadmapped emission reductions combined with increased production. However, while the gross emissions from the industries have diminished, at the same time carbon sinks have decreased, with the upshot being no decrease in national net emissions. The failure has two roots. First, the industries have no economic incentive to not maintain high levels of wood use, as the consequences of sink loss (in LULUCF accounting) are a national responsibility. Second, the sink loss goes unaddressed in the roadmaps due to a lack of attention to natural resources and the absence of coordination. By failing to address sink loss and consequently net emissions, the roadmaps have counterintuitively contributed to endangering the carbon neutrality target.

Ensuring the quality and reproducibility of biological resources is essential for advancing biomedical research and upholding animal welfare standards. The European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA), part of the INFRAFRONTIER research infrastructure, plays a key role in this effort by cryopreserving scientifically validated mutant mouse and rat strains and making them accessible to the global scientific community. To further enhance its processes and promote transparency, INFRAFRONTIER/EMMA has developed a set of ten Quality Principles specifically tailored to the unique requirements of cryopreserved rodent mutant strains. These principles guide EMMA’s workflows by providing a structured yet flexible quality framework across its distributed nodes. They encompass both general standards—such as adherence to the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine), staff competence, and continuous improvement—and more specific areas including scientific evaluation, data curation, and intellectual property rights. Each principle is presented with contextual background, defined requirements, practical recommendations, and key references. This initiative aims to strengthen the reliability, ethical integrity, and reproducibility of preclinical research resources.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00335-025-10174-4.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a cancer with dismal prognosis due to resistance to most current therapies. Although immunotherapy has improved the treatment of many solid cancers, pancreatic cancer remains resistant to immunotherapy due to immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, limited lymphocyte infiltration and lack of neoantigens. Oncolytic adenoviruses are a possible solution to treatment resistance in PDAC due to their ability to elicit lymphocyte trafficking and epitope spreading. Herein, we tested if an oncolytic adenovirus encoding a variant interleukin-2 molecule (Ad5/3-E2F-d24-vIL2), could enable immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in PDAC when combined with chemotherapy. Rationale for Ad5/3-E2F-d24-vIL2 was tested in vitro, where increase in programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was seen after virotherapy and chemotherapy. Expression of other B7 family proteins was characterized in mono- and co-culture settings of cancer cells, fibroblasts, and macrophages. The combination therapy of virotherapy, chemotherapy and ICI was characterized in freshly resected ex vivo pancreatic tumor samples. Combination of ICI with virotherapy showed increased interferon and chemokine production in samples, with expansion of cytotoxic CD8 + T cells seen by flow cytometry. In vivo evaluation of the triple combination therapy in a Syrian hamster model showed improved tumor growth control and overall survival, with concurrent increase in intratumoral lymphocytes during therapy. Animals cured with the therapy showed resistance to re-challenge with the same cell line, supportive of successful generation of anti-tumor immunity in the animals. The combination treatment of Ad5/3-E2F-d24-vIL2, chemotherapy, and checkpoint inhibition is a promising treatment modality to tackle treatment resistance in PDAC.

ABSTRACTLiquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC–MS) is a powerful technique for the detection and quantification of methylated quaternary ammonium compounds (mQACs), such as acylcarnitines and methylated amino‐acid‐derived (betainized) compounds, in biological matrices. Due to their high polarity and permanent charge, mQACs present analytical challenges, particularly in achieving efficient chromatographic retention and resolution. Here, we focus on the application of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometric (HILIC–MS), for the analysis of these compound classes in biological samples. We highlight practical considerations in their analysis, including their MS/MS fragmentation patterns and identification in positive electrospray mode (ESI)+, to support researchers working with mQACs in targeted or untargeted metabolomics studies.

Purpose Investigate the genetic components of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) by performing genome-wide meta-analyses using the data from FinnGen and Estonian Biobank. Methods We studied genome-wide associations of SNHL in FinnGen and the Estonian Biobank in the general population and in sex- and age-of-onset stratified subgroups. The study-specific GWASs were combined through inverse variance-weighted genome-wide meta-analyses, encompassing a total of 531,059 individuals (Ncases=35,960). Age-stratified meta-analyses included 28,198 individuals diagnosed at the age of 55 years or after and 7,762 individuals diagnosed before the age of 55 years, with 495,099 controls. Sex-stratified meta-analyses included 313,501 females (Ncases=17,761) and 217,558 males (Ncases=18,199). Results In the meta-analysis focusing on the general population, 22 SNHL-associated loci (± 1 Mb window) were observed, seven of which were previously unreported. In the sex-stratified analysis, two previously unreported SNHL loci were observed in the female subgroup and one locus in the male subgroup. Additionally, in the age-stratified analysis, three previously unreported SNHL loci were observed in the subgroup of those that were diagnosed at the age of 55 years or after. In those diagnosed before the age of 55 years, one previously unreported locus was observed. Overall, 32 loci were associated with SNHL at p<5x10-8 in at least one of the study groups. Of these, 14 loci have not been previously reported in association with SNHL. We also estimated if there were significant differences in the effect sizes of the lead variants at each locus between the analytical subgroups and observed differences for 14 variants. Conclusions Previously unreported SNHL risk loci and differences in effect sizes found in this study provide additional insight into the genetic underpinnings of SNHL. Our results validate the role of mechano-transduction and genetic components affecting the structure of the inner ear in the background of SNHL. Our study contributes to our understanding of the genetic causes of SNHL and may open the door for further research into innovative therapies and preventative measures.

The chemical compounds of plant leaves may be used to defend against rust diseases. The effect of methanolic leaf extracts from four resistant and four susceptible alternate hosts of Cronartium pini and C. ribicola, and two pure phenolic chemicals, such as chlorogenic acid and quercitrin, were tested on the germination of C. pini and C. ribicola spores. Aeciospores of these rusts were dusted on water agar amended with the leaf extracts and chemicals in three concentrations and a methanol control, and germination of the aeciospores was counted after 24 h incubation. Germination of the rusts was compared between extracts and concentrations. All plant extracts tended to stimulate the germination of both rusts at 50 and 100 ppm, but the highest concentration, 500 ppm, inhibited the germination of both rusts regardless of the extract. The germination of C. pini spores was inhibited strongly by extracts from Veronica chamaedrys, V. longifolia, Ribes rubrum and Impatiens glandulifera, chlorogenic acid, quercitrin and methanol, and weakly by extracts of Ribes nigrum, Melampyrum pratense, M. sylvaticum and Impatiens balsamina at 500 ppm. The growth of C. ribicola was strongly inhibited by all extracts at 500 ppm. Since the results indicate stronger inhibition by the extracts from resistant host species, more research is required to identify the active compounds for bio-based control of Cronartium rusts. Keywords: aeciospores; alternate hosts; rust resistance; Scots pine blister rust; white-pine blister rust

Background: Increased demand of the serological biomarker test (GastroPanel®) in non-invasive diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC) risk conditions, i.e., atrophic gastritis (AG) and Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, prompted the design of GastroPanel® Quick test (GPQT) (Biohit Oyj, Helsinki, Finland) for point-of-care (POC) settings. Objective: This study validated the diagnostic accuracy (DA) of GPQT in diagnosis of AG and Hp among gastroscopy referral patients. Methods: Altogether, 266 patients were enrolled among the consecutive gastroscopy referrals at the Department of Gastroenterology, Fortis Hospital (Punjab, India). All patients underwent gastroscopy with biopsies (n = 249) classified using the Updated Sydney System (USS) and finger prick blood sampling for GPQT testing. Results: Biopsy-confirmed AG was found in 15.3% (38/249) of the patients. The overall agreement between the GPQT and the USS classification was 71.4% (95% CI 65.4-77.0%), with the weighted kappa (κw) of 0.823 (95% CI 0.773-0.862). In ROC analysis for moderate/severe AG of the corpus (AGC) endpoint, AUC = 0.990 (95% CI 0.979-1.000) and AUC = 0.971 (95% CI 0.948-0.995) for PGI and PGI/PGII, respectively. Hp IgG Ab test detected biopsy-confirmed Hp with AUC = 0.836 (95% CI 0.783-0.889). Conclusions: The GPQT favourably competes in accuracy with the ELISA test version (unified-GP) in diagnosis of AG and Hp in patients referred for diagnostic gastroscopy.