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Dr. Hannes Lohi awarded |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on 24.10.2007 at 12:32:35 |
The Academy of Finland Award for scientific courage is granted to a researcher who has shown exceptional scientific audacity, creativity or innovation in their work. The award can also be granted for a novel or original research idea, for forward-looking work that transcends scientific boundaries or for a willingness to take risks in research.
Academy Research Fellow Hannes Lohi's research interests lie in the genetic background and inheritance of epilepsy. He has launched a genetic research programme at the University of Helsinki that is aimed at identifying genetic defects related to hereditary diseases in different dog breeds. In Finland this marks a whole new approach to studying genetic diseases, making use of canine genome data to explore the heredity of certain similar diseases in both dogs and humans.
Dog breeding programmes provide an excellent source of research material for geneticists. Dogs are second only to humans in the incidence of genetic diseases, and the best-known among canine diseases are very similar to the corresponding diseases in humans. The canine model identified by Lohi has played a major part in attempting to understand the aetiology of epilepsy.
The research undertaken by Lohi has many potential applications in the promotion of human and canine health. A further aim of his research is to help develop better treatments. Lohi is building a Finnish databank of canine DNA samples that will contribute to clarifying the genetic background of both canine and human diseases.
Resource: Academy of Finland Communications
Full text: here
Congratulations from the EPIDAL team!
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