The research project focuses on one of the main challenges of today’s public health care. Medical science has changed rapidly in the recent decades, thanks to advances in molecular biology in general and genomics in particular, as well as in regenerative medicine (assisted reproductive technology (ART), stem cell research and tissue engineering) and neuroscience. It has been alleged that due to this development we are on the verge of a revolution in medical care, too. Regarding public health care, this situation is ambivalent because the new high-tech medicine both promises unprecedented prospects of health care and imposes great economic and institutional challenges to existing public health services.  We approach this situation by assuming that the development of medicine – both as a science or technology and as care – does not happen in a cultural or social vacuum nor is it unilinear. Thus the key question shared by all the sub-studies of the project is the following: What kind of soil do the health care practices and policies in Finland provide for the nurturing of high-tech molecular medicine?

The project is funded by the University of Helsinki  for the period 2007 - 2009.

Research team:

Ilpo Helén, team leader

Riitta Burrell, researcher

Mianna Meskus, researcher

Mikko Jauho, researcher

Karoliina Snell, researcher

Aaro Tupasela,  researcher