Researchers in molecular and cell biology and genomics summarized their past scientific year
On January 22–23, the annual conference of the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) and the Institute of Genomics (IG) of the University of Tartu took place in the Omicum study and research building.
The annual conference is a traditional summary of the research year by both institutes, which primarily gives young researchers either the opportunity to present their research results to a large audience or receive valuable feedback on their poster presentations.
The two institutes have been organizing the annual conference for over 30 years. This year marked the first time the conference was organized under the Estonian Doctoral School, meaning doctoral students from other institutes could also send their abstracts and apply to present their thesises. In addition to junior researchers from the University of Tartu, researchers from the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Tallinn University of Technology also participated.
The presentations were led by a jury, which selected 13 oral presenters from among the abstracts submitted by doctoral students to present their work over the course of two days. Several younger researchers who had completed their doctoral studies, were also given the opportunity to give oral presentations.
All other doctoral students who submitted theses were given the opportunity to present posters, with a total of 36 presented. The posters were introduced with short, two-minute flash presentations, after which the authors had the opportunity to explain their research topics in more detail to interested parties during coffee breaks.
- Harleen Kaur - Impact of Antimicrobial Coatings on the Microbial Communities of High-Touch Communal Surfaces
- Ashna Anilkumar - Temporal dynamics of BMP signalling during tissue morphogenesis in Drosophila wing vein development
- Apostol Apostolov - Semaglutide reprograms the metabolism at the embryo–endometrium interface
- Biancamaria Bonucci - Evaluation of different extraction protocols for DNA yield from ancient dental calculus
- Anastasiia Bratchenko - Genetics of individual hormonal sensitivity in women
- Toni de-Dios - A case of Dog Vibriosis infection from Jamestown’s Starving Time, 1609 to 1610
- Roberto Didonna - A genetic bridge over the Gulf of Finland: tracing the origin of genetic connectedness between Finns and Estonians
- Jelisaveta Džigurski - The impact of genetic factors and hormonal contraceptives on venous thromboembolism: an extended Cox model analysis in the Estonian Biobank
- Jéssica Figuerêdo Campos De Jesus - Genome-Wide Analysis of 64 Male Reproductive Phenotypes Reveals Novel Loci and Shared Biological Pathways
- Jose Rodrigo Flores Espinosa - Signatures of selection and adaptation in an Arctic Circle population
- Anette Hallik - In vitro reassociation of eucaryotic ribosomal subunits as a versatile molecular investigation method
- Johanna Hendrikson - GacS always and forever
- Mariliis Hinnu - Phage labelling in Pseudomonas putida
- Anne-Mai Ilumäe - Maternal contacts around & across the Baltic Sea - thousands of complete mtDNA sequences reveal the layered formation of the maternal genepool in the Circum-Baltic
- Kerli Ilves - Genetic architecture of the Big Five personality traits and their associations with health behaviours
- Aleksandra Judin - Genome-Wide Association Study Meta-Analysis of Psoriatic Arthritis Across Large Biobank and Population Cohorts
- Ivan Kuznetsov - Sex-specific associations of educational attainment polygenic score with lifetime fertility in Estonia
- Liina Kuus - Biofilm formation of wild-type dairy strains
- Alicja Cecylia-Lewańczyk, The opposite effects of the stringent response on phage infection of Pseudomonas putida
- Birgit Malken - Predicting weight loss from a diverse set of biological, behavioural, and psychological factors
- Elise Mägi - Mapping phage defense systems of Pseudomonas putida
- Telver Objärtel - Early detection of cancer via circulating tumor DNA sequencing and methylation analysis
- Triinu Ojalo - Latent Mental-Health and Behavioural Risk Profiles in the EstBB Cohort: Differential Associations with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Cardiometabolic Diseases
- Kateryna Pantiukh - Species structure of human gut microbiome species:
Implications for association studies in large cohorts - Sandra Park - Short semi-lethal exposure to ionic and metallic copper or silver results in survival of antibiotic-tolerant Escherichia coli sub-populations
- Rutvi Manishkumar Rajpara - Investigating the evolutionary dynamics underlying DNA virus immune response
- Valentina Rukins - Genetic determinants associated with changes in the structure and function of cutaneous microvasculature
- Gea Maris Räis - Identification of promoters and expression of lapG, a gene essential for Pseudomonas putida biofilm formation
- Joonas-Sande Tamm - A systematic analysis of genetic contributions and cross-condition associations in eye diseases
- Karmel Teder - Comparison of methods for absolute risk prediction in the presence of competing risks, using the example of Type 2 Diabetes in the Estonian Biobank cohort.
- Elia Tiso - Recent developments for context-specificity in PRS
- Kai Tätte - Genetic Origins of the Kiritimati Population from Micronesia
- Sigrit Umerov - Antimicrobial Silver Sensitivity of Silver or Copper Surface Adapted Escherichia coli Isolates
- Jaan Vihalemm - Selective Bioleaching of Metals from E-waste
- Danat Yermakovich - Investigating the functional relevance of Denisovan introgressed DNA among New Guineans
- Kanwal Batool - Coding variant analysis based on 5,492 ICD-10-based disease phenotypes in the Estonian Biobank
In addition to presentations by junior researchers and scientists, guest presentations were also included. As tradition, experts from Estonia and abroad were invited to talk about their research work, to encourage collaboration between different university institutes and scientific fields.
For many guest speakers, the conference provided an opportunity to return as alumni of the University of Tartu an share their experiences with groups of students similar to who they once were.
Associate Professor Hanna Hõrak (University of Tartu Institute of Technology)
- Presentation: "Stomatal distribution between leaf surfaces and its relationships with yield"
Professor Kaspar Valgepea (University of Tartu Institute of Bioengineering)
- Presentation: “Capturing waste carbon using gas fermentation”
Specialist Helerin Eiche (State Agency of Medicines)
- Presentation: “When biology becomes Medicine - an introduction to biological medicinal products”
Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Meelis Kadaja (Nanordica Medical)
- Presentation: “My journey from scientist to entrepreneur: life outside the lab”
Associate Professor Ott Scheler (TalTech Division of Gene Technology and Biomedicine)
- Presentation: “Droplet microfluidics for microbiology and biotechnology”
Post-doc Antti Matvere (University of Rennes)
- Presentation: “MCT1 causes resistance to SMAD3 inhibition in cancer and involves dysregulation of the cholesterol synthesis pathway”
Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Nanordica Medical, Meelis Kadaja focused on the change in mindset on the journey from scientist to entrepreneur. Engineers and scientists think differently – engineers develop tools to achieve the end product, while scientists ask a series of questions and try to answer the hypothesis they have set.
During the second half of his presentation, Meelis gave an overview of the development of wound care products for patients with chronic ulcers, which Nanordica is working on.
The most important qualities for a researcher are the skills necessary for the job, genuine interest and perseverance.
Helerin Eiche, Quality Assessor for Biological Medicines at the State Agency of Medicines, gave an overview of what biological medicines are and how they reach the market in the European Union.
Compared to chemical drugs such as aspirin, biological drugs have a very complex molecular structure.
Most of them are monoclonal antibodies used today in the treatment of tumors and autoimmune diseases. Recombinant proteins, vaccines, cell therapy, and gene therapy drugs are also available on the market as biological medicines, but we only have a few of the latter.
Hanna Hõrak, Associate Professor of Molecular Plant Physiology at the Institute of Technology, who recently received a grant from the European Research Council for established researchers, explained in her presentation why it is important to study plant stomata in the context of global warming and drought.
Stomata are small openings on the surface of leaves, both on the underside and upper side, which allow carbon dioxide uptake and water evaporation from plants. The patterns and openness of stomata significantly affect plant growth, stress tolerance, and yield.
In the context of future agriculture, it is important to develop plant varieties that can cope with fairly extreme conditions, while continuing to produce a yield.
At the end of the second day of the conference, a jury consisting of researchers from both institutes announced the best presentations and a ceremony was held to award the prizes. The best oral presentation was given by Lea Ets, a junior researcher in genetics ("Adaptive evolution of Pseudomonas putida in the presence of fluoride exposed moonlighting transporter functions"). The award for the best poster presentation went to Kanwal Batool, a junior researcher in functional genomics ("Coding variant analysis based on 5,492 ICD-10-based disease phenotypes in the Estonian Biobank").
In Lea Ets' presentation, the jury highlighted the ease in which it could be followed, the presenter's self-confidence, and her ability to respond well to questions from the audience. The committee members also noted the exciting themes of their research and outstanding results of their work.
Overall, the degree of oral and poster presentations was high and as several committee members already pointed out, it was difficult to make a selection. There was fierce competition for the awards.
Members of the evaluation committee: Mariliis Klaas, Silja Kuusk, Age Brauer, Tambet Tõnissoo, Ants Kurg, Signe Värv, Toomas Haller, Tarmo Annilo, Mart Kals, Lehti Saag ja Michael Dannemann.
Special prizes of Microbiology were awarded by the Estonian Society of Microbiologists (ESM). One of these was awarded to Liina Kuus, a junior researcher in bioinformatics at the University of Tartu, and the other to Johanna Hendrikson, an experienced doctoral student and junior researcher in genetics.
According to the evaluation committee, Liina Kuus showed great potential as a first-year doctoral student, as she had analyzed microbiological samples in collaboration with the dairy industry and found important results. Liina has a very good grasp of the subject, and her work provides the industry with the information it needs to make processes more microbiologically safe.
There were a total of 18 presentations related to microbiology, including posters, which accounted for 38% of the abstracts submitted to the conference.
Jonanna Hendrikson is a fourth-year doctoral student whose work focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of Pseudomonas putida biofilm formation and the regulation of related factors. The committee highly valued Johanna's motivation to unravel complex systems and her continuous development.
Members of the EMS Award Committee: Kertu Liis Krigul, Anne Menert, Signe Viggor ja Triinu Visnapuu.
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University of Tartu Centre for Entrepreneurship (UTCE), in cooperation with various institutes, presented two awards for "Ideas that Lead to Action," recognizing doctoral projects with innovation potential. The awards went to Astrid Laidna, a intersectoral doctoral studies student at the University of Tartu Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, who spoke about the bioleaching of rare earth metals from phosphogypsum, and Galadriel Lucia Velázquez Silva, a junior researcher at the Institute of Genomics, who presented her work on rheumatoid arthritis.
The awards were presented by Kristjan Välk and Elina Aleksejeva-Zagura, who work as innovation scouts at the institutes.
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The event was organised from the project "Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies" (2021-2027.4.04.24-0003), which is co-funded by the European Union.
The annual conference was organized by the Chair of Cell Biology at the University of Tartu Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.
We would like to thank: Arnold Kristjuhan, Lilian Kadaja-Saarepuu, Signe Värv, Dmitri Lubenets, Indrek Teino, Henel Jürgens, Mariliis Klaas, Toivo Maimets, Kalle Nemvalts and Annika Trei.
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