Riin Tamm

Riin Tamm
Riin Tamm
Born	12 August 1981 Tartu, Estonia[1]
Nationality	Estonian
Occupation	Genetic scientist
Known for	Popularizing genetics

Riin Tamm (born 12 August 1981) is an Estonian geneticist working at the University of Tartu, and a science popularizer. As a student she worked on the action of thiopurine methyltransferase.^[2]

Career

Tamm was born in Tartu and grew up in the village of Peri, near Põlva.^[1] She is the daughter of two doctors.^[3] She attended Miina Harma high school in Tartu between 1997 and 2000. From 2001 to 2005 she was an undergraduate at the University of Tartu studying molecular diagnosis, and from 2005 to 2007 studied for her master's degree, which she obtained in 2007, and began her PhD studies. Her master's thesis, prepared under supervision of Andres Metspalu and Kersti Oselin, was entitled Human thiopurine methyltransferase pharmacogenetics: genotype-phenotype correlation and haplotype analysis in the Estonian population.^[4] In 2011 she was chosen as one of 26 scientists to travel around Estonia and take part in events at schools and academic institutions.^[3] In 2012 she was given second prize for Estonian National Science Communication in the category "Best popularizing scientist, journalist, teacher etc in the field of science and technology".^[4]

Publications and appearances

Tamm has published in scientific journals and presented research to a broader public in other venues, including the newspaper Postimees, Radio Kuku's program Falling Apple (Kukkuv õun – 28 August 2010), and Eesti Televisioon's program Good Vision (15 October 2009, 20 October 2011, 17 January 2012).^[4][5]

Tamm has said that doctors are conservative and still have relatively little interest in using genetic information to improve treatment.^[6] In a June 2012 interview she said that more work is needed to map out the human genetic structure, but much has been done already. Genetic information may help to determine risk of certain diseases, and may be useful in determining appropriate drug treatments.^[7]

Professional service

Tamm is a board member of the Estonian Society of Human Genetics (Eesti Inimesegeneetika Ühing)^[8] and the Estonian Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (Eesti Gerontoloogia ja Geriaatria Assotsiatsioon),^[9] and Chair of the Scientific Program Committee of the Annual International Gene Forum conference organized by the Estonian Genome Foundation.^[10]

Publications

Tamm has authored or co-authored various papers on subjects related to human genetics and gerontology, including the following:^[4]

• Milek, M.; Smid, A.; Tamm, R.; Karas Kuzelicki, N.; Metspalu, A.; Mlinaric-Rascan, I. (2012). "Post-translational stabilization of thiopurine S-methyltransferase by S-adenosyl-L-methionine reveals regulation of TPMT*1 and *3C allozymes.". Biochemical Pharmacology. 83 (7): 969–976. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2012.01.010. PMID 22274639.
• Tamm, R. (2010). "Novel human pathological mutations. Gene symbol: SPAST. Disease: Hereditary spastic paraplegia". Human Genetics. 127 (1): 112. PMID 20108387.
• Tamm, Riin; Saks, Kai; Pääsuke, Mati (2010). "Research on ageing and longevity in Estonia". Reviews in Clinical Gerontology. 20 (2): 154–159. doi:10.1017/s0959259810000134.
• Kuningas, M.; May, L.; Tamm, R.; van Bodegom, D.; van den Biggelaar, A. H. J.; Meij, J. J.; Frölich, M.; Ziem, J. B.; Suchiman, H. E. D.; Metspalu, A.; Slagboom, P. E.; Westendorp, R. G. J (2009). "Selection for Genetic Variation Inducing Pro-Inflammatory Responses under Adverse Environmental Conditions in a Ghanaian Population". PLOS ONE. 4 (11): e7795. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0007795. PMC 2771352. PMID 19907653.
• Tamm, R.; Oselin, K.; Kallassalu, K.; Magi, R.; Anier, K.; Remm, M.; Metspalu, A. (2008). "Thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) pharmacogenetics: three new mutations and haplotype analysis in the Estonian population". Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. 46 (7): 974–979. doi:10.1515/CCLM.2008.187. PMID 18605963.
• Oselin, K.; Anier, K.; Tamm, R.; Kallassalu, K.; Mäeorg, U. (2006). "Determination of thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) activity by comparing various normalization factors: Reference values for Estonian population using HPLC-UV assay.". Journal of Chromatography B. 834 (1–2): 77–83. doi:10.1016/j.jchromb.2006.02.031. PMID 16517227.

According to the Web of Science, her publications have been cited 23 times, giving Tamm an h-index of 3.^[11]

References

Citations

1. Jõgi, Aime (2011-11-29). "Värviliste jalgadega naine murrab müüte". Tartu Postimees (in Estonian). Retrieved 23 December 2012.
2. University of Tartu.
3. Jõgi 2011.
4. Riin Tamm – Estonian Research Information System.
5. Estonian Academy of Sciences 2012, p. 49.
6. Randla 2011.
7. Kerge 2012.
8. Juhatus – Eesti Inimesegeneetika Ühing.
9. Board: Eesti Gerontoloogia ja Geriaatria Assotsiatsioon.
10. The 13th International Gene Forum 2013.
11. "Tamm, Riin". Science Citation Index. Web of Science. Thomson Reuters. 2012.

Sources

• "Board". Eesti Gerontoloogia ja Geriaatria Assotsiatsioon. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
• Estonian Academy of Sciences (2012). "ESTONIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES YEAR BOOK" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-12-25.
• Jõgi, Aime (29 November 2011). "Värviliste jalgadega naine murrab müüte". Tartu Postimees. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
• "Juhatus". Estonian Society of Human Genetics. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
• Kerge, Rainer (16 June 2012). "Geneetik Riin Tamm: "Inimese genoomist on põhjalikumalt läbi uuritud alles 2%." (Geneticist Riin Tamm: "Only 2% of the human genome has been thoroughly studied")". Retrieved 2012-12-13.
• Randla, Sven (20 October 2011). "Teadlane: arstide huvi geeniuurijate töösaavutuste vastu on väike". ERR. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
• "Riin Tamm". Estonian Research Information System. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
• Teadus, miks (11 November 2012). "Riin Tamm". Retrieved 2012-12-13.
• "The 13th International Gene Forum 2013". Estonian Genome Foundation. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
• University of Tartu. "Riin Tamm". Labome.org. Retrieved 2012-12-13.

External links

• Riin Tamm: explaining genetics in layman's terms InTime April/May 2013