Biography:Kari Alitalo

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Short description: Finnish MD and a medical researcher
Photo of Kari K. Alitalo standing among greenhouse plants.
Kari K. Alitalo in 2014. (Jussi Puikkonen / KNAW)

Kari Kustaa Alitalo (born 21 May 1952 in Kuopio[1]) is a Finnish MD and a medical researcher. He is a foreign associated member of the National Academy of Sciences of the US.[2] He became famous for his discoveries of several receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs)[3][4][5] and the first growth factor capable of inducing lymphangiogenesis: vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C).[6] In the years 1996–2007 he was Europe's second most cited author in the field of cell biology.[7] Alitalo is currently serving as an Academy Professor for the Academy of Finland.[8]

Alitalo received the Leopold Griffuel Prize in 2002[9] and the 2006 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine.[10] He also received the 2005 Eric Fernström Foundation's Nordic Prize[11] and the 2009 In-Bev Baillet Latour Health Prize.[12] In 2014, he received the Dr. A.H.Heineken Prize for Medicine.

References

  1. Pajala, Lasse (2010) (in fi). Kuka kukin on 2011. Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-24712-8. 
  2. National Academy of Sciences Members and Foreign Associates Elected News, April 30th, 2013, National Academy of Sciences. Accessed June 3, 2013
  3. Partanen, J; Mäkelä, TP; Eerola, E; Korhonen, J; Hirvonen, H; Claesson-Welsh, L; Alitalo, K (1991). "FGFR-4, a novel acidic fibroblast growth factor receptor with a distinct expression pattern". The EMBO Journal 10 (6): 1347–54. doi:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb07654.x. PMID 1709094. 
  4. Aprelikova, O; Pajusola, K; Partanen, J; Armstrong, E et al. (1992). "FLT4, a novel class III receptor tyrosine kinase in chromosome 5q33-qter". Cancer Research 52 (3): 746–8. PMID 1310071. 
  5. Partanen, J; Armstrong, E; Mäkelä, TP; Korhonen, J; Sandberg, M; Renkonen, R; Knuutila, S; Huebner, K et al. (1992). "A novel endothelial cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase with extracellular epidermal growth factor homology domains". Molecular and Cellular Biology 12 (4): 1698–707. doi:10.1128/mcb.12.4.1698. PMID 1312667. 
  6. Joukov, V; Pajusola, K; Kaipainen, A; Chilov, D; Lahtinen, I; Kukk, E; Saksela, O; Kalkkinen, N et al. (1996). "A novel vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF-C, is a ligand for the Flt4 (VEGFR-3) and KDR (VEGFR-2) receptor tyrosine kinases". The EMBO Journal 15 (2): 290–98. doi:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1996.tb00359.x. PMID 8617204. 
  7. "Publication Analysis 1996-2007. Cell Biology." Lab Times. 2007. Number 5, pages 42-44
  8. "Akatemiaprofessorit". Academy of Finland. 27 May 2015. http://www.aka.fi/fi/akatemia/tutkimuksen-tekijoita/akatemiaprofessorit. 
  9. Leopold Griffuel Prize. Wikipedia. Accessed June 3rd, 2013
  10. Louis-Jeantet Prize
  11. Kari Alitalo received recognition for his work, University of Helsinki 2005 annual report. Accessed August 21, 2011
  12. FINISH PROFESSORS KARI ALITALO AND SEPPO YLÄ-HERTTUALA ARE RECIPIENTS OF THE INBEV-BAILLET LATOUR HEALTH PRIZE 2009 FOR THEIR PIONEERING RESEARCH ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS. Press-release, April 2009, In-Bev Baillet Latour Foundation. Accessed August 21, 2011

External links