Centre of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu

Name of the Centre

Centre of Molecular and Clinical Medicine

Head Prof. Raivo Uibo, Dr.med.Sci.

Phone 737 4051

Fax 737 4052

E-mail cmcm@ut.ee

General description of the Centre

The Centre of Molecular and Clinical Medicine was established in 2001 to raise the strenghts of Estonian medical research and to concentrate the skills and funds in a selected cutting-edge areas of medical research, neuroscience in particular. The Centre brings together ten of the best preclinical and clinical research groups from the University of Tartu into a consortium where the combination of high-standard theoretical and applied biomedical research as well as clinical research has been well achieved. In 2002 the scientific quality of the Centre was assessed and we received the highest possible rating 5,0 from European Commission in Call for Accompanying Measures for East-European Centres of Excellence recognized as a NAS Centre of Excellence.

 

The general mission of the Centre is to perform internationally recognized research in medicine, particularly in order to reduce the burden of neurological diseases, mental illness and behavioural disorders (as separated entities or complex chronic diseases) through research on brain, mind and behaviour.

 

Main research directions:

1. Genetic, biochemical, and physiological factors contributing to mental and behavioural disorders (role of neuropeptides in behavioural and mental disorders, eating disorders, genomics of behaviour and mental disorders).
2. Mechanisms of target destruction in neurodegeneration and neurodegeneration associated chronic diseases (brain bioenergetics, oxidative stress, neuroimmunology and inflammation).
3. Interaction between genes and the environment in neurological diseases.
4. Development of new therapies for neurological diseases  (neuroprotectants, neuronal stem cells, probiotics).