 
Receptor Structure and Function - program was established in 1993 to unite all investigators within biomedicine and other life sciences working at the University of Turku, the Åbo Akademi University and the National Public Health Institute in Turku who share an interest in the biology of cellular signalling mechanisms and receptor molecules. 
The research projects that founded the program have a long record of high quality basic research in the fields of cell adhesion receptors, neurotransmitter, hormone and drug receptors and cellular receptors for microbes. The new facilities in the BioCity building and, in particular, in the Turku Centre for Biotechnology, have created an opportunity to study the structure of receptor molecules by X-ray crystallography and computer-aided molecular modelling. These technological advances allow research approaches that are unsurpassed anywhere else in Finland. In addition to structural studies, the individual projects are interested in the molecular mechanisms of signal transduction, in structure - activity relationships of ligand - receptor interactions, in regulation of receptor expression and in molecular pharmacology. By forming this program, the participating research projects provide a platform for intensive, improved collaboration, exchange of information and dissemination of methodological know-how. The program also helps to improve the planning and execution of post-graduate training in all fields of biotechnology. The program organises common seminars, symposia and journal clubs. The pharmaceutical industry in Turku participates actively in receptor research. Many of the projects in the joint program have established connections with industrial research groups. This collaboration has produced not only a long list of published research reports but also several academic thesis projects and patent applications. One of the most important functions of the receptor research program is to help the academic research groups to develop and maintain close contacts with the local pharmaceutical, biotechnological and biomedical industry. |
