Medical science grants to be directed to microbial research
The Board of the Sakari Alhopuro Foundation has decided to direct the medical science grants for 2026 to research on interactions between microbes and humans. This decision is based on the interest of the Foundation’s founder in diseases caused by microbes as well as their prevention, as well as the topicality of the subject.In 2026, the medical science grants to be awarded by the Sakari Alhopuro Foundation will be directed to research that examines the effects of microbes on human health and well-being. Microbes appear to be linked to, among others, multiple national diseases. Therefore, investing in microbial research is well-justified from the perspectives of both public health and the national economy.
“Microbial research is an area of interest to the founder of the Foundation and is also a highly topical subject. Even before the foundation was established, Sakari Alhopuro funded, among others, research conducted at the University of Turku, such as tick research and research on infections caused by hospital bacteria. For this reason, the specification decision made by the Board of the Foundation was a natural one”, says Carita Rantanen, Managing Director of the Sakari Alhopuro Foundation.
“Only 5–7 per cent of the research projects included in the medical science grant applications have been awarded funding. This fact led the Board of the Foundation to contemplate whether it would be sensible to target a specific area of research for their grants in order to increase the percentage. The decision to direct the grants to microbial research was reached quickly and unanimously”, Rantanen adds.
Microbes have a major effect on our health
Microbes are usually perceived as nasty pathogenic agents that cause humans and nature problems of varying degrees – sometimes even fatal. We are used to treating bacterial diseases with antibiotics, the efficacy of which is, however, currently at risk of diminishing.
“Resistance to antibiotics or, in other words, the ability of microbes to resist antibiotic agents, has increased globally, which is a serious threat. If antibiotics lose their effect, many infections that can be easily treated today may become life-threatening. This is a serious global threat, which is why the issue has been raised by the WHO, the EU and even the United Nations General Assembly,”, says Pentti Huovinen, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation and Professor of Bacteriology.
Microbes are not, however, only pathogens. They also play an important role in promoting our health.
“Intestinal bacteria have been shown to be essential in terms of our health, and their effects have influence on many organs. Today, many top scientific journals are publishing interesting research results regarding the effects of intestinal bacteria on our health. Scientific data help us to understand the pathogenetic mechanisms of many diseases and, thus, enable the development of new treatments”, says Huovinen.