Structural Biology
Platform services
Cryo-Electron Microscopy
X-ray Crystallography
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Mass Spectrometry
Biomolecular Complex Purification (Biocomplex)
FINStruct - Structural Biology Finland
Structural biology and biophysics covers a wide range of topics, from high quality sample production to structure determination and biocomputational analysis. FINStruct is a national integrated structural cell biology network that supports state-of-the-art research in biomolecular complex purification (Biocomplex); high resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM); nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); native mass spectrometry (MS); structural bioinformatics; and X-ray crystallography (X-ray). FINStruct activities are distributed over five universities throughout Finland (University of Helsinki, University of Oulu, University of Turku, Åbo Academi, and University of Eastern Finland). All units are well-established as scientifically-driven core facilities with wide industrial and academic, international and domestic user networks. FINStruct is included on the Finnish Research Infrastructure 2021-2024 roadmap and offers a wide variety of structural biology infrastructure and expertise to both academic and industrial researchers in Finland and Europe.
FINStruct provides services at two levels: (i) by guiding new users through unfamiliar structural cell biology technologies and (ii) by facilitating expert users to access specialist, cutting-edge technologies. FINStruct serves the whole Finnish research community. It aims to extend Finnish life science research and open new opportunities for it. FINStruct operates as structural biology network of Biocenter Finland. This network also benefits from central resources, such as CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd. and from the Biocenter Finland Bioinformatics and Proteomics and metabolomics network.
FINStruct homepage at the University of Helsinki
Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE
CryoEM Core Facility, Institute of Biotechnology
X-ray Crystallography
Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE
Protein Crystallisation Facility, Institute of Biotechnology
BioCity Turku
Protein Structure and Chemistry Core Facility
Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory
Biocenter Oulu
BCO Structural Biology Core Facility (BCO SB)
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE
Finnish Biological NMR Center, Institute of Biotechnology
Mass Spectrometry
Biocenter Kuopio
High-resolution Mass Spectrometry Facility
Biomolecular Complex Purification
Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE
Biomolecular Complex Purification (Biocomplex), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences
To start a new project using FINStruct research infrastructure, please contact the core personnel (see the Core Home Pages above) or the FINStruct Coordinator Hanna Oksanen [hanna.oksanen (at) helsinki.fi].
International activities
ESFRI Instruct-ERIC
Instruct-ERIC is a pan-European integrated structural biology infrastructure. It is a landmark European Research Infrastructure on the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure ESFRI Roadmap (2016). Instruct-ERIC provides peer-reviewed access to all of the core structural biology technologies and specialized specimen production facilities at the Instruct-ERIC Centres of the Instruct member states across Europe. Instruct-ERIC also develops the next generation of instrumentation in partnership with industry and provides training for structural biologists in cutting edge techniques.
Finland became a full member of Instruct-ERIC in 2019. In February 2020, Instruct Centre Finland services were opened and are available through the Instruct-ERIC catalogue for international and national use (Instruct-ERIC News). FINStruct provides a distributed Instruct Centre Finland, which is a national node of Instruct-ERIC. Being a member of Instruct-ERIC allows scientists from Finland to access the wide catalogue of cutting-edge structural biology technologies, including funding to enable important research discoveries in molecular bioscience.
The distributed Instruct-ERIC Centre Finland is composed of selected FINStruct platforms. The FINStruct Coordination Hub is at the University of Helsinki. Membership of Instruct-ERIC provides the Finnish life science researchers a possibility for funded access to the Instruct Centre Finland services, to the major structural biology centers in Europe and to the large instruments like X-ray synchrotrons and modern cryo-electron microscopes that cannot be built and maintained in all countries.
Instruct Centre Finland homepage, Instruct-ERIC
Contact Persons
FINStruct Coordination Hub, University of Helsinki
Sarah Butcher, FINStruct and Instruct Centre Finland Director, Platform Coordinator, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences & Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, University of Helsinki [sarah.butcher (at) helsinki.fi]
Hanna Oksanen, FINStruct and Instruct Centre Finland Coordinator, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki [hanna.oksanen (at) helsinki]
Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Sarah Butcher, Cryo-EM Core Facility, Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, University of Helsinki [sarah.butcher (at) helsinki.fi]
X-ray Crystallography
Lari Lehtiö, Structural Biology core facility, Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu
Tommi Kajander, Protein Crystallisation Core Facility, Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, University of Helsinki [tommi.kajander (at) helsinki.fi]
Tiina A. Salminen, Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, BioCity Turku, Åbo Akademi University [tiina.salminen (at) abo.fi]
Tassos Papageorgiou, Protein Structure and Chemistry Core Facility, BioCity Turku, University of Turku [anastassios.papageorgiou (at) utu.fi, anapap (at) utu.fi]
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Perttu Permi, Finnish Biological NMR Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, University of Helsinki [perttu.permi (at) helsinki.fi]
Mass Spectrometry
Juha Rouvinen, High-resolution Mass Spectrometry Facility, Biocenter Kuopio, University of Eastern Finland [juha.rouvinen (at) uef.fi]
Biomolecular Complex Purification (Biocomplex)
Minna Poranen, Biocomplex Core Facility, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki [minna.poranen (at) helsinki.fi]