Visiting Professor: Kari Alitalo, Helsinki, Finland

Novel roles of lymphatics in the eye, the brain and in tumor metastasis

A world-leading cancer researcher, Finnish Academy Professor Dr. Kari Alitalo has done groundbreaking work with great clinical potential in such areas as oncogenes, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, in particular having made significant discoveries about the molecular systems that control the development of lymphatic vessels and lymphatic metastasis. He is the Director of the Wihuri Research Institute and Principle Investigator in the Translational Cancer Biology Research Program at the University of Helsinki, Finland as well as its Center of Excellence Director. He was appointed as a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America in 2013, a rare honor to add to the long list of prizes he has won, one of the most recent being the Dr. A.H. Heineken Prize in 2014. In a 2015 publication, inspired by their previous discovery of lymphatic-like vessels in the eye and advances in imaging methods, his team has continued to challenge textbook knowledge by showing that extensive lymphatic vessel networks exist in the mouse brain.

In this talk, Professor Alitalo will discuss the cumulative impact of his research, in particular his significant discoveries about the molecular systems that control the development of lymphatic vessels and lymphatic metastasis, his team’s textbook-challenging discoveries about the presence of lymphatic vessels in the eye and central nervous system, and the potential role of these discoveries in developing better treatments for a number of widespread diseases, in this talk especially those involving tumor metastasis.

The event will begin at 5:00 pm with wine & cheese. The lecture will start at 5:15 pm with discussion to follow.