Right. Isolated cardiac cell under a confocal microscope. Red is α-actinin, green is the VDAC channel.
Left. Colorectal cancer. Red is the mitochondria, blue is the cell nuclei.
Chemical Biology
Our mission and main focus
The mission of the Chemical Biology research group (CB, formerly the Bioenergetics Laboratory) is to understand disease-related alterations in cellular energy metabolism. Our research insights can be applied to improve disease diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment strategies.
Research in the CB is primarily focused on mitochondrial function in living cells and the factors influencing its activity. We apply systems biology approaches, specifically systems-level cell bioenergetics and fluxomics (the analysis of metabolic fluxes), combining both experimental studies and mathematical modeling. This strategy allows us to gain deeper insights into the regulatory mechanisms of energy metabolism and to pinpoint the mechanisms underlying pathological changes.
The main research topics include:
- Alterations in energy metabolism and transfer during the development of cancer cells. The study materials include human colorectal and breast cancer clinical samples, as well as cancer cell culture models.
- Regulation of the respiratory chain and integrated energy consumption networks in muscle cells.
- Investigation of whether, and how, chronic disease-related metabolic changes are reflected in the energy production of blood cells, with a focus on platelets as a model system.
- Enhancing the reliability of cell culture models for disease studies through growth condition optimization.
- Modeling and investigation of oxidative stress in cancer, cardiac, and neuronal cell cultures.
The CB has established both the theoretical and experimental foundation for the advancement of fundamental and applied research in cell bioenergetics.
Collaboration with international research groups plays a central role in our projects – through direct partnerships as well as joint initiatives within Horizon Europe, COST Actions, and EEA Grants.
In Estonia, CB maintains strong collaborations with all major hospitals in Tallinn, the Tartu University Hospital, as well as with Tallinn University of Technology, the University of Tartu, and Tallinn University.
Graduate students from these universities are actively involved in the laboratory’s research projects and have successfully defended their theses under the supervision of our scientists.
The head of the CB, Lead Researcher Dr. Tuuli Käämbre, and the group’s research were recognized with the Estonian National Research Award in 2023. The research group’s work is positively evaluated in two areas of the European Commission Classification of Sciences (CERCS): natural sciences, and biomedicine.
Further information from Tuuli Käämbre tuuli.kaambre@kbfi.ee