Lauri Aaltonen

Lauri A. Aaltonen's research team works on tumour genomics, with a particular focus on hereditary susceptibility. The team has made key contributions in the identification of several human tumour predisposition genes, such as LKB1 and SMAD4 in intestinal neoplasia, FH in leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer, and AIP in pituitary adenoma predisposition. The work provides tools for early detection and prevention of hereditary tumours, and increases our understanding on mechanisms of sporadic tumorigenesis. The team's current research program utilises extensively the Finnish population and Cancer Registry databases to identify and characterise novel cancer predisposition phenotypes and genes.