Research Groups

Our research aims at the development and application of new, environmentally friendly, and reliable analytical techniques for environmental, food, biomass, forensic, and clinical analysis. For that, we utilize a wide range of instrumentation tools and technologies.

We strive to contribute to a safer and healthier world by promoting the Green Analytical Chemistry concept in our research.

We develop analysis techniques and procedures to decrease or eliminate solvents, reagents, and other materials that are dangerous to the individual or the ecosystem and provide rapid and energy-saving methodologies. For that, we apply statistical experimental design (DOE) to decrease the number of experiments during the process optimization stage and develop non-destructive cutting-edge analytical technologies, combined with chemometric tools (multidimensional data analysis and modeling), which are almost free of hazardous chemicals and wastes, fast and provide accurate, reliable and consistent results.

​R&D in analytical chemistry, services, teaching

The main topic of the research group is related to the identification of fundamental aspects of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism.

The main focus of the study is on the mechanisms of regulation of lipases and lipoxygenases.

We have competence and experience in the study of the structure and properties of proteins, in the analysis of biomolecular interactions, in enzymology and in the analysis of lipids.

In our research we use mass spectrometry, chromatography, calorimetry, surface plasmon resonance and fluorescence-based technologies.

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biomolecular interactions, lipases, lipid analysis​, ​mechanisms of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism regulation

Biomedicine lab investigates human pathogen Helicobacter pylori (HP) and its role in the development of liver diseases. HP is a Gram-negative bacterium living in the hostile environment of the human stomach. About 70% of the adult population in Estonia is infected with HP. The bacterium causes gastritis and peptic ulcers, and, in some cases, gastric cancer. HP can also affect other organs including the liver. However, the mechanisms by which HP causes liver damage and promotes carcinogenesis remain largely unknown. Ongoing research is expected to increase our understanding of the mechanisms behind bacteria-induced carcinogenesis.

Main research topics include:

• Role of Helicobacter pylori-induced invadosomes in liver damages. We have previously shown that infection with HP induces the formation of invadosomes in hepatocytes. We are currently investigating the mechanism behind this phenomenon using in vitro approach complemented with transcriptome sequencing.
• Clinical aspects of Helicobacter pylori-induced liver diseases. We are using the livers of mice infected with HP to analyse short- and long-term effects of the infection with focus on different markers such as YAP1 and CD44.
• Alteration of gut microbiota by Helicobacter pylori leading to the progression of liver diseases. For this study, we are collecting samples from Estonian patients. Our goal is to characterize Estonian HP strains, their effect on mouth/stomach/gut microbiota and liver.
• Effect of probiotic lactic acid bacteria on HP and HP-induced inflammatory response.

actin cytoskeleton, Helicobacter pylori, invadosomes, liver damage, microbiome

The research group is experienced in the interdisciplinary area of information technology and brain physiology. The studies are aimed to detect and interpret the features in the brain electroencephalography (EEG) signal characteristic for mental disorder (e.g. depression), occupational and/or environmental stressors comprising the advanced methods of signal analysis and the knowledge about brain neuronal activity. An original Spectral Asymmetry Index (SASI) has been developed and proved as a promising method in various applications.

Main results

• by applying EEG-based objective measures it is feasible to detect the changes and recovery caused by mRNA COVID-19 vaccine;
• there is no threshold for the biological or health effects of radio frequency radiation, while the health risk can be minimized by linking the health protection limit values to the level of radiation, in which no significant health effects have been noticed during a long period of exposure (6 V/m).

More information: Homepage

brain disorders, depression, EEG, electroencephalography, signal processing

The research of the Business Information Technology Group is focused on a theory and practice of dependable, interoperable and evolutionarily changeable enterprise applications and on the education of a future specialists in the field.

Homepage

business software, dependable, future professionals, interoperable and evolutionarily changeable enterprise applications, ​​professional applications, professional education​, reliability

The Centre for Environmental Sensing and Intelligence is specialized in the development and deployment of rugged multi-modal sensors for measurements in extreme environments, data-driven modelling and eco- and ethohydraulics.
Core competences of the centre are:

• Underwater sensing in extreme environments including hydropower turbines, rivers, coastlines and glaciers.
• Real-time signal processing for rugged and reliable multi-modal autonomous sensors.
• Data-driven modeling and assimilation of outdoor sensor network data with numerical models.
• Eco- and ethohydraulic sensing and modelling, with a focus on fish and hydropower.
• Underwater multispectral cameras and automated vision methods for detection and tracking in adverse environments.

As our R&D activities are all related to monitoring human impacts (e.g. air quality in cities, negative effects of hydropower operations on river ecological systems and fish biodiversity), the methods and results we produce are highly relevant to the local, regional, national and transnational scales. For example, we are developing sensors to monitor human gaits to aid in rehabilitation which impacts the individual. At the same time, a modified version of this sensor platform is used by hydropower researchers to replace live fish in field studies, which impacts 100,000 of live fish throughout Europe.

computer vision, ​​hydropower, open government data​, underwater sensing

The Research Centre focuses on cross-layer reliability and self-health awareness technology for tomorrow’s complex intelligent autonomous systems and IoT edge devices in Estonia and EU.

The team studies advanced cyber-physical systems characterized by their heterogeneity and the emerging computing architectures employing AI-based autonomy. The centre generates knowledge to equip engineers with design-phase solutions and in-field instruments for industry-scale systems to facilitate system’s crashless operation.

The core competences of the group are:

• Hardware design
  -VHDL and Verilog designs
  -EDA tools (Cadence, Siemens, Synopsys platforms)
  -Application-specific computing platforms (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
• FPGA-based solutions and methodologies
  -FPGA SoCs (Zynq, CycloneV)
  -EDA tools (Xilinx Vivado, Altera/Intel Quartus, Lattice Diamond
• Software and embedded SW development
  -Bare-metal applications, bootloaders, Linux drivers and Userspace applications,
  -Petalinux, Yocto, FreeRTOS and embedded SDKs, ELDK
• Cross-layer reliability and fault management
  -ML-based solutions
  -Functional Safety (ISO26262)
• Test strategy development and troubleshooting instrumentation
  -JTAG/IJTAG based solutions (standards IEEE-1149.1, IEEE-1149.6, IEEE-1687)

cost-efficient computing, edge-AI accelerators, embedded systems, functional safety, ​​hardware design, intelligent autonomous systems, machine learning, predictive maintenance, reliability, system health awareness, trust-efficient computing

The goal of the R&D activity is to create the proof of concept of and develop the methodology for low-cost, fully portable flow cytometers based on droplet microfluidics, which will allow field analysis through cognitive electronics system.

More information at: TalTech LoC

​cognitronics, Lab-on-Chip solutions​, microfluidics

DNA replication remains one of the main targets of cancer therapies as cancer cells tend to proliferate faster and are generally prone to replication stress. However, most of the replication initiation research to date has been done using model organisms such as yeast Xenopus laevis egg extracts. The human DNA replication system is much more complex, and identifying human homologs using data from model systems has proven difficult, resulting in the need to re-evaluate every finding from a model system on a case-by-case basis.

The main goal of the group is to study the molecular mechanism of DNA replication initiation in human cells. Currently the research is focused on the following topics:

1. The role of DNA polymerase epsilon in replication initiation in human cells;
2. Developing a novel system to study DNA replication initiation in human cells based on proximity labelling;
3. The role of Timeless protein in health and disease.

Key methods: mammalian cell culture, CRISPR/Cas9 based knock-ins, co-immunoprecipitations, immunofluorescent staining/microscopy, flow cytometry, molecular cloning, DNA fiber analysis, iPOND, proteomic screens.

DNA, DNA replication, origin firing​, replisome

The core competencies of the research group are the development of IT solutions related to digitalization of health care (e-health) and research of the interoperability factors necessary for their implementation.

The factors to be studied include strategies, standards, IT architecture, data statuses and databases used for large (national or regional) e-health systems.

The research team’s staff also manages and develops Europe’s first and longest-running Digital Health curriculum, established in 2009, ensuring its quality, relevance, and continuous improvement. In this programme, students explore key areas such as e-health implementation, healthcare data systems, medical imaging, healthcare financing, and change management. With a strong focus on legal and ethical considerations, as well as real-world applications, graduates will have developed the skills needed to lead the digital transformation of healthcare.  

More information:

Centre for Digital Health: Centre for Digital Health | TalTech

Digital Health Master´s programme: MSc in Digital Health | TalTech

assessment of digital health technologies, change management in healthcare, digital health, eHealth