Translational Cancer Medicine Program (CAN-PRO)

Approximately one-third of all adults will face cancer diagnosis during their lifetime, creating an urgent need for more efficient cancer therapies.

The Translational Cancer Medicine Program (CAN-PRO) aims to tackle this challenge by analysis of tumor heterogeneity and tumor microenvironment, screening and discovery of targeted cancer therapies, and use of artificial intelligence tools into more effective treatments.

CAN-PRO provides a platform for translational discovery that bridges the gap between the fundamental cancer research in the Academic Medical Center Helsinki and the early-stage clinical trials of the Helsinki University Hospital. In this platform, genomic, epidemiological and pathological analyses, analysis of patient-specific cancer organoids, mechanistic validation and drug efficacy studies will be integrated with data from the national databases, registries and biobanks. This enables the discovery and validation of the biomarker signatures that associate with the drug efficacy profiles of individual patients, paving the way for precision cancer treatments.

The team comprises the strong expertise of the basic and translational researchers from 12 research groups, supported by clinical pathologists. With this synergistic expertise, the use of cutting-edge technologies and the access to the wide collection of tumor samples and related research and clinical programs, the team aims to achieve the translational goals of CAN-PRO.

Program director

Sakari Vanharanta

Biomedicum Helsinki 1
Haartmaninkatu 8
PO Box 63
FI-00014 University of Helsinki
Tel. +358 504332200

  • Kari Alitalo -
  • Juha Klefström - 
  • Pirjo Laakkonen - 
  • Taija Mäkinen -
  • Päivi Ojala - 
  • Saara Ollila -
  • Pipsa Saharinen - 
  • Kari Vaahtomeri - 
  • Sakari Vanharanta -
  • Markku Varjosalo -
  • Panu Kovanen 
  • Johannes Dunkel 
Events
Key Pub­lic­a­tions from CAN-PRO
  • Lemmetyinen TT, Viitala EW, Wartiovaara L, Kaprio T, Hagström J, Haglund C, Katajisto P, Wang TC, Domènech-Moreno E, Ollila S. Dis Model Mech 16: dmm049692, 2023.
  • Monzo H, Hyytiäinen M, Elbasani E, Kalander K, Wall J, Moyano-Galceran L, Tanjore- Ramanathan J, Jukonen J, Laakkonen P, Ristimäki A, Carlson JW, Lehti K, Salehi S, Puolakkainen P, Haglund C, Seppänen H, Leppä S*, Ojala PM*. Mol Cancer Ther 2023 Jul 24: MCT-23-0008. Online ahead of print. * shared correspondence.
  • Uçar MC, Hannezo E, Tiilikainen E, Liaqat I, Jakobsson E, Nurmi H, Vaahtomeri K. Nat Commun 14: 5878, 2023.
  • Patel SA, Hirosue S, Rodrigues P, Vojtasova E, Richardson EK, Ge J, Syafruddin SE, Speed A, Papachristou EK, Baker D, Clarke D, Purvis S, Wesolowski L, Dyas A, Castillon L, Caraffini V, Bihary D, Yong C, Harrison DJ, Stewart GD, Machiela MJ, Purdue MP, Chanock SJ, Warren AY, Samarajiwa SA, Carroll JS, Vanharanta S. Nature 606: 999-1006, 2022.
  • Filppu P, Tanjore Ramanathan J, Granberg K, Gucciardo E, Haapasalo H, Lehti K, Le Joncour V, Laakkonen P. JCI Insight 6: e141486, 2021.
  • Heino S, Fang S, Lähde M, Högström J, Nassiri S, Campbell A, Flanagan D, Raven A, Hodder M, Nasreddin N, Xue H-H, Delorenzi M, Leedham S, Petrova T, Sanson O, Alitalo K. Sci Adv 7: eabj0512, 2021.
  • Lähde M, Heino S, Högström J, Kaijalainen S, Anisimov A, Flanagan D, Kallio P, Leppänen VM, Ristimäki A, Ritvos O, Wu K, Tammela T, Hodder M, Sansom OJ, Alitalo K. Gastroenterology 160: 245-259, 2021.
  • Munne PM, Martikainen L, Räty I, Bertula K, Nonappa, Ruuska J, Ala-Hongisto H, Peura A, Hollmann B, Euro L, Yavuz K, Patrikainen L, Salmela M, Pokki J, Kivento M, Väänänen J, Suomi T, Nevalaita L, Mutka M, Kovanen P, Leidenius M, Meretoja T, Hukkinen K, Monni O, Pouwels J, Sahu B, Mattson J, Joensuu H, Heikkilä P, Elo LL, Metcalfe C, Junttila MR, Ikkala O, Klefström J. Nat Commun 12: 6967, 2021.
  • Vaahtomeri K, Moussion C, Hauschild R, Sixt M. Front Immunol 12: 630002, 2021.
  • Gramolelli S, Elbasani E, Tuohinto K, Nurminen V, Günther T, Kallinen RE, Kaijalainen SP, Diaz R, Grundhoff A, Haglund C, Ziegelbauer JM, Pellinen T, Bower M, Francois M, Ojala PM Cancer Res 80: 3116-3129, 2020.
  • Haikala HM, Anttila JM, Marques E, Raatikainen T, Ilander M, Hakanen H, Ala-Hongisto H, Savelius M, Balboa D, Von Eyss B, Eskelinen V, Munne P, Nieminen AI, Otonkoski T, Schüler J, Laajala TD, Aittokallio T, Sihto H, Mattson J, Heikkilä P, Leidenius M, Joensuu H, Mustjoki S, Kovanen P, Eilers M, Leverson JD, Klefström J. Nat Commun 10: 620, 2019.
  • Le Joncour V, Filppu P, Hyvönen M, Holopainen M, Turunen P, Sihto H, Burghardt I, Joensuu H, Tynninen O, Jääskeläinen J, Weller M, Lehti K, Käkelä R, Laakkonen P EMBO Mol Med 11: e9034, 2019.
  • Ollila S, Domènech-Moreno E, Laajanen K, Wong IP, Tripathi S, Pentinmikko N, Gao Y, Yan Y, Niemelä EH, Wang TC, Viollet B, Leone G, Katajisto P, Vaahtomeri K, Mäkelä TP. J Clin Invest 128: 402-414, 2018.
  • Rodrigues P, Patel SA, Harewood L, Olan I, Vojtasova E, Syafruddin SE, Zaini MN, Richardson EK, Burge J, Warren AY, Stewart GD, Saeb-Parsy K, Samarajiwa SA, Vanharanta S. Cancer Discov 8: 850-865, 2018.