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Emerging personalised medicine initiatives have the perspective to cut healthcare costs and improve the overall health of the population. Taking into account the individual's molecular characteristics complemented by environmental and lifestyle factors, will allow to develop more precise and improved disease prevention and treatment programs compared to conventional methods. As an example of potential for personalised medicine, an estimated 90% of drugs are effective in only 30-50% of the population, which means that more than a third of all money spent on drugs has been ineffective.

On 21 December, the Institute of Genomics announced that the first part of the Estonian goverment-backed project -- to collect the DNA samples from 100,000 Estonians -- is accomplished. On the same day, the goverment said it had allocated an additional €2.3 millions, helping the project continue in 2019, with an aim to give another 50,000 people a chance to give their DNA samples.

Andres Metspalu from the Institute of Genomics (University of Tartu) shares his experience in cancer research in Estonia in the article “

Emerging personalised medicine initiatives have the perspective to cut healthcare costs and improve the overhall health of the population. Taking into account the individual's molecular characteristics complemented by environmental and lifestyle factors, will allow to develop more precise and improved disease prevention and treatment programs compared to conventional methods. As an example of potential for personalised medicine, an estimated 90% drugs are effective in only 30-50% of the population, which means that more than a third of all money spent on drugs has been ineffective.

Estonians have too much cholesterol in their blood – all doctors know that. The hereditary form of the condition is relatively rare, being present in 0.5% of the population and has been under‑diagnosed and under‑treated for years.

Today, on 26 April 2018, the 263-member electoral council elected Professor of Neurosurgery Toomas Asser as rector of the University of Tartu with 187 votes.

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On 18th of May, DigiTwins received an invitation from the European Commission to enter the next stage of the competition to become an EU Flagship for Future and Emerging Technologies. DigiTwins, a large research initiative in Europe and beyond aims at revolutionizing healthcare and biomedical research for the benefit of citizens and society and at contributing to Europe’s Digital Single Market strategy through the creation of Digital Twins.

The Estonian Genome Centre, a part of the Institute of Genomics of the University of Tartu, launched this year an unexpectedly popular project to find 100,000 gene donors in Estonia. The biobank project has enjoyed enormous success at home, but now it has caught the eye of a prominent UK science magazine New Scientist.

The world’s first genetic nation? By Andy Coghlan, New Scientist, 2nd of April 2018 The Estonian government plans to provide free DNA-based lifestyle advice for 100,000 of its 1.3 million residents.

Estonia has started a program to recruit and genotype 100,000 new biobank participants as part of its National Personalized Medicine programme. The government wants to develop its healthcare system by offering all its residents genome-wide genotyping that will be translated into personalized reports for use in everyday medical practice through the national e-health portal. The country has many encrypted digital solutions incorporated into government functions that link the nation’s various databases through end-to-end encrypted pathways.

The Estonian Government will allocate 5 million euros next year to a joint development project of the Ministry of Social Affairs, the National Institute for Health Development and the Estonian Genome Center of the University of Tartu. The project aims to collect the genetic data of 100 000 people and integrate it into everyday medical practice by giving people feedback of their personal genetic risks.

At the extraordinary senate session on 27 December, the senate of the University of Tartu unanimously appointed professor Tõnu Lehtsaar as the acting rector. In his speech to the senate, Lehtsaar said that his primary goal as the university’s acting rector is to maintain stability and find a new rector. “We will keep the university going. I asked members of the Rector’s Office at the meeting this morning if they were willing to continue in their office. I didn’t expect them to answer right away, but they confirmed that we will go forward together,” he said.

Professor Volli Kalm, Rector of the University of Tartu (10 February 1953 – 23 December 2017)

Prof. Tõnis Timmusk from the Tallinn Technical University will give a talk: “The intellectual disability and schizophrenia associated transcription factor TCF4 is regulated by neuronal activity” Abstract: Transcription factor TCF4 (alias ITF2, SEF2 or E2-2) is a broadly expressed basic helix-loop-helix protein that binds to E-box DNA sequences (CANNTG) as a homo- or heterodimer. While involved in the development and functioning of many different cell types, recent studies point to important roles for TCF4 in the nervous system.

On the 13th of October, along with the celebrations of the 385th birthday of the medical faculty, the Valda and Bernard Õun Scholarship will be awarded to Silva Kasela, a specialist at the Estonian Genome Center and a doctoral graduate of University of Tartu.

The next Guest Seminar of the CoE for Genomics and Translational Medicine will be held on August 21st, 2017 at 14:00 (Biomedicum building, Ravila 19, room 1006) by Dr. Li Tian (Academy of Finland Research Fellow; Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki) Title: "Mind-Immune Connection in Cognition and Mood"

On 14 June at 15:00 the Genome Centre’s information day is held in the assembly hall of the University of Tartu, where experts explain what can be done with genetic data and how the data gathered in the course of research study can become valuable for ordinary people.

Seminar of the Centre of Excellence for Genomics and Translational Medicine by Dr. Tõnu Esko: "Functional genomics: from statistical association to causal biology"