Category: Наука

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

On December 5, Novosibirsk State University hosted its first international roundtable discussion, "Law, Bioneuroconstitutionalism, and Human Rights in the Age of Genetic Information and Bioneurotechnology." The event was timed to coincide with Lawyer's Day and the 1993 Constitution Day of the Russian Federation. Leading experts in bioethics, biolaw, and neuroscience from universities and research centers in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Tyumen, Kazakhstan, and China spoke at the roundtable.

The round table was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 25-18-00338 “Anthropological bioconstitutionalism and the achievement of bioethical well-being in the system of ensuring humanitarian biosecurity: human dignity and new human rights in legal ontology and biosocial reproduction.”The grant is for three years and, in addition to the roundtable, includes interdisciplinary research into anthropological bioconstitutionalism and human biorights, as well as the publication of Russia's first scientific research encyclopedic dictionary, collective monographs, and proposals for amendments to current Russian legislation.

The round table was initiated by scientists Institute of Philosophy and Law (IPL) of NSU.

"Different sciences come to the forefront at different times. The 21st century is the century of life sciences, including, of course, biomedicine and neuroscience. Law is also a life science, no less important than medicine, because jurisprudence teaches us how to live in society, how to live while observing the laws. In my opinion, the main characteristic of the modern world is uncertainty; nothing is constant except change. In this environment of uncertainty and volatility, guidelines are essential, and in this sense, our constitution plays a crucial role, setting guidelines by which the ship called Russia can navigate. Therefore, the topic of the roundtable is particularly relevant. I am very pleased that the event generated great interest among our graduate students—we have about 60 of them, some attending in person, some online," noted Vladimir Diev, Doctor of Philosophy and Director of the NSU Institute of Physical Problems, at the opening of the event.

The project's director is Igor Kravets, Doctor of Law, Professor, Head of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law, and Chief Research Fellow at the Institute of Physical Problems at NSU. Speaking about the genesis of the roundtable discussion, he emphasized its interdisciplinary nature and the existence of research centers that address this issue, noting the importance of biocentrism in law, medicine, and healthcare.

"This is an interdisciplinary topic based on the development of human biorights, bioethics, and biomedicine in the context of achieving bioethical well-being. When we initiated this roundtable, we assumed that bioethics centers already exist at universities where biolaw is being developed and human rights in biomedicine are studied. Therefore, we invited colleagues from Moscow State Law University, the Center for Bioethics and Human Rights at the Ural State Law University, and the Higher School of Economics, as well as other leading specialists from Russian academic schools working on these issues," explained Igor Kravets.

The roundtable discussion included four scientific panels: Bioneuroconstitutionalism, human rights, and new technologies; Reproductive technologies, biomedicine, and human rights; Biomedical law and the status of individuals and citizens in light of new technologies (domestic and international experience); Bioethics and neurophilosophy facing the challenges of new technologies; and a youth panel.

"The topic of bioethics, the focus of this roundtable, is extremely important because significant changes in scientific knowledge are currently underway, and this is reflected in a new interdisciplinary synthesis—firstly, the sciences related to biology are merging; secondly, new technologies are emerging, primarily artificial intelligence and neural networks; and thirdly, legal science must respond to these changes. Therefore, it is crucial to approach the topic of bioethics from the perspectives of philosophy, biology, and law," commented Andrey Medushevsky, Doctor of Philosophy and Professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

Elena Titova, Doctor of Law and Professor at the Law Institute of South Ural State University (Chelyabinsk), spoke at the roundtable. She discussed the relationship between the category of bioconstitutionalism and biosafety rights, as well as scientific approaches to developing this doctrine. Titova specializes in litigation involving individuals and medical organizations when rights are restricted or when it is necessary to ensure the protection of rights in the field of biomedicine.

Mikhail Kotlovsky, MD, PhD, Chief Researcher at the N.A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health (Moscow), focused his presentation on the ethical challenges facing professionals implementing new technologies in healthcare. The focus was on the extent to which ethical standards and ethics apply to artificial intelligence when it is used in medicine. This applies to medical research and healthcare institutions, as much data is currently generated and systematized using artificial intelligence—so-called biodata. The expert provided a comprehensive assessment of the potential of using artificial intelligence to process biodata.

Igor Kravets discussed in more detail the issue of bioethical dignity from the perspective of international and national biomedical law.

"UNESCO's international instruments provide for a law enforcement and enforcement mechanism that considers human rights in the field of biomedicine in the context of their relationship with human dignity. For example, human dignity and genetics, human dignity and biorights, human dignity and biosafety. I see this as a new paradigm. That is, bioethical dignity is not only the dignity of a person participating in medical research or exercising reproductive rights; it is the dignity of various living beings that exist on our planet and that may have various forms of vulnerability. For example, if we consider humans, these include people with disabilities, children, and pregnant women. Bioethical dignity demonstrates the degree of their autonomy and vulnerability, which should be reflected in the structure of state guarantees. Bioethics also considers the rights of animals and the ability of humans to participate in their care within the context of the dignity of living beings," explained Igor Kravets.

Continuing this theme, Irina Krylatova, PhD in Law and Director of the Center for Bioethics and Law at the V.F. Yakovlev Ural State Law University, presented her research findings. She discussed the role of bioethical principles in conceptualizing the bioethical dignity of the individual.

Vladislava Boyarinova, PhD in Law, Institute of Philosophy and Law, Novosibirsk State University, shared her thoughts on the current challenges of informed consent when collecting neurophysiological data for analysis using artificial intelligence technologies, as part of a study supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.

Particular attention was paid to the application of bioethical principles in family relationships. Daria Sennikova, PhD in Law and Associate Professor at the Law Institute of the National Research Tomsk State University, presented a paper on the right to protection from violence, raising the question: how to help without harming?

Experts from other countries participated in the roundtable. Zhang Yueping, Doctor of Law, Junior Research Fellow at the Institute of Russian Language at Heilongjiang University, was a year-long intern at the Institute of Legal Philosophy at NSU. Her presentation focused on the specific understanding of biolaw in China and the status of citizens of the People's Republic of China from this perspective. Anton Didikin, Doctor of Philosophy and Candidate of Law at the Maqsut Narikbayev University Graduate School of Law (Kazakhstan), a graduate of NSU, has a long history of studying neurophilosophy and neurolaw. He presented a paper entitled "Transformation of Legal Responsibility in the Age of Neuroscience," which examined how the concept of legal capacity is changing under the influence of technological advances. This primarily concerns criminal liability, as advances in neuroscience call into question free will and the awareness of one's actions.

The field of neurophilosophy in Russia is currently most developed at one university—the Higher School of Economics. And HSE Professor Andrey Medushevsky's presentation was devoted specifically to neuroscience and its relationship with law.

"The essence of neuroscience is that it unites various fields of knowledge related to the study of the brain. And currently, some researchers are declaring a true revolution in brain research. This is linked, firstly, to the emergence of cognitive sciences and psychology. Secondly, it's biology, bioethics, and artificial intelligence. This revolution in brain research lies in the emergence, for the first time, of technologies that allow us to track the processes of cognition, meaning formation, and thought. And the most important of these technologies is, without a doubt, cerebral cortex scanning. Humanity is gaining a unique opportunity to empirically study subjective states," commented Andrey Medushevsky.

Lawyers face new challenges: firstly, a whole new field of legal research related to neurolaw is emerging; secondly, the question arises of how to approach these technological advances from a legal perspective, in particular the legality of using neuroevidence in court.

The presentations by experts in the field of reproductive technologies from the perspective of both biolaw and public health generated great interest.

Valentina Komarova, Doctor of Law and Professor at the Kutafin Moscow State Law University, addressed the highly specific issue of the relationship and safeguarding of private and public interests in the use of reproductive technologies.

Andrey Kondrashev, Doctor of Law and Professor at the Law Institute of the Siberian Federal University (Krasnoyarsk), spoke online about the problems of regulating the post-mortem use of reproductive technologies in Russia (with comparative aspects).

Ekaterina Abrosimova, PhD in Law and Associate Professor at MGIMO University (Acting Head of the Department of Innovative Jurisprudence and Information Law), spoke online about the issue of the private legal status/regime of cryopreserved embryos.

Evgeniya Mossberg, a junior researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Law at Novosibirsk State University, shared the results of her research (both under a grant from the Russian Science Foundation and for her dissertation) on the topic "Cryopreservation of human germ cells and embryos as a way to ensure human reproductive rights in the post-COVID period: the experience of BRICS countries."

Also of interest was the youth panel, which featured presentations by graduate students from the NSU Institute of Philosophy and Law. Maria Solodkina (Igoshkina), who has been working on information technology in constitutional law for over a year, presented a paper on the impact of information and digital technologies on the legal regulation of bioinformatics and biodata security. This is one of the issues related to the digitalization of healthcare.

Vitaly Kamorny, a civil law specialist by training, is interested in the issues of liability for harm caused by artificial intelligence in the fields of biolaw and biotechnology. It's possible that his research will expand to include exploring how artificial intelligence influences the development of biolaw.

Ivan Kuzmenkin is writing a dissertation on genetic constitution, which is related to international biolaw and the development of rights in Russia regarding genetic information. Genetic constitution, broadly defined, is a set of rights to the preservation and use of genetic information. The topic of his presentation at the roundtable was "Implementation of the Constitutional Principle of Human Dignity in Human Cloning," and human cloning is precisely part of the realization of rights to bioengineering and genetic constitution.

Roundtable participants expressed a commitment to scientific communication on complex issues of biolaw, biomedicine, neuroscience, and healthcare, and demonstrated the importance and potential of an interdisciplinary approach.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

A second-year master's student at the Department of Biomedical Physics is conducting a study on boron accumulation in tumor cells after the administration of boron preparations as potential delivery vehicles for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Faculty of Physics of Novosibirsk State University Ksenia Kuzmina is working on this study as part of a large research team that includes Novosibirsk State University, the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics SB RAS, the Lebedev Physical Institute RAS, the Prokhorov General Physics Institute RAS, and the Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS. Her supervisor is Anna Kasatova, a senior researcher at the INP SB RAS and a PhD candidate in medicine. The work is being carried out as part of the strategic technology project "Center for the Integration of Personalized Biomedicine, Pharmacy, and Synchrotron and Binary Technologies" of the Priority 2030 program.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary form of radiation therapy based on the selective destruction of malignant tumor cells. The key principle of this therapy is the selective destruction of only those cells that contain sufficient amounts of the isotope boron-10. Targeted boron delivery agents are essential for successful implementation of BNCT. Conducting studies on the accumulation of boron-containing agents is an important step in BNCT planning.

This therapy method works by injecting a boron-containing drug into the patient's body, which accumulates specifically in cancer cells. The patient is then irradiated at the INP SB RAS using the VITA (Vacuum Insulated Tandem Accelerator) neutron source. Neutrons interact with the boron accumulated in the tumor, triggering a nuclear reaction that produces heavy ions and alpha particles. These particles destroy the tumor during the nuclear reaction but spare healthy cells, which do not accumulate sufficient boron. Currently, boron-phenylalanine, a second-generation drug for this purpose, is primarily used in clinical practice for targeted boron delivery. Despite promising results obtained in clinical trials, the limited ratio of boron in the tumor to normal tissue in patients treated with boron-phenylalanine requires the development of more effective and selective boron delivery systems. Our Moscow physicist and chemist colleagues synthesized elemental boron nanoparticles, functionalized them with a biocompatible Silane-PEG coating to improve their pharmacokinetic properties, and sent them to us for study of the suitability of this drug for BNCT as a potential agent for boron delivery to tumors, said Ksenia Kuzmina.

Studies of the biodistribution and cytotoxicity of boron nanoparticles were conducted both in vitro (on living cell cultures) and in vivo (on laboratory mice). Two human tumor cell lines—breast carcinoma (BT474) and glioblastoma (U87)—were used in the in vitro study, as well as healthy cells—human fibroblasts (BJ-5ta). The studies established that these nanoparticles were nontoxic for all three cell lines at the concentrations required for successful BNCT. The greatest BNCT effect was observed for the BT474 cell line; according to clonogenic analysis, the proportion of surviving cells was less than 1%. The proportion of surviving U87 cells in the BNCT group was 35%, which significantly differs from the result obtained in the control group.

To study the in vivo biodistribution of boron after intratumoral administration of elemental boron nanoparticles to mice bearing the BT474 tumor, the scientists used inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The boron concentration in the tumor was 163 μg/g 30 minutes after administration, and 64 μg/g after 90 minutes. Boron-10 concentrations in the blood and muscle were significantly lower. The tumor-to-normal tissue ratio of boron concentrations was 15 and 4 at the 30- and 90-minute time points, respectively, exceeding the ratio for second-generation targeted delivery agents. This indicates the greater selectivity of the nanoparticles studied.

"Research into the accumulation of boron nanoparticles in tumor and healthy cells is ongoing. Our goal is to find a delivery system that will accumulate very well in tumors but retain minimally in the blood, kidneys, liver, and brain. With the launch of the Siberian Ring Photon Source (SKIF), we will be able to screen new compounds for the development of targeted boron delivery systems, study the mechanism of this process, and determine the molecular structures of these substances. We hope to be among the first users of SKIF," said Ksenia Kuzmina.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

On December 11-12, Novosibirsk State University is hosting the interregional scientific and practical conference "University Meetings. Novosibirsk—a Center for Innovation in Medicine." The event is organized by Novosibirsk State University, the Center for Postgraduate Medical Education of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies (CPME IMMT) of NSU, the Novosibirsk Region Ministry of Health, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Association of Doctors.

The program includes scientific reports, master classes with leading specialists in dermato-oncology, psychology, and cardiology, a roundtable discussion on problem areas in medical services, and discussions with colleagues from various cities across the Russian Federation on their development as specialists. This year, the main topic of the University Meetings is obesity.

The conference was opened by Chief Scientific Secretary of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences Andrey Tulupov.

NSU Rector and RAS Academician Mikhail Fedoruk also delivered a welcoming speech.

— We were the third in the country to launch medical education at a classical university, after Moscow and St. Petersburg. Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU "IMT NSU is one of the youngest departments at NSU. Medical education is becoming increasingly important to us, which is especially relevant given the infrastructure upgrades and the opening of the new educational and research center of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies at NSU in 2026. I am confident that IMT NSU will develop successfully, in particular through conferences such as these, which bring together students, residents, postgraduate students, and leading medical specialists," noted Mikhail Fedoruk.

At the beginning of the conference, Irina Sergeeva, Director of the Center for Preventive Medical Research at the NSU Institute of Medical and Technological Technologies, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, and Professor of the Department of Fundamental Medicine at the NSU Institute of Medical and Technological Technologies, delivered an introductory presentation on the history of medical education and focused on the current state of medical education and its future.

"Medical universities are transforming into polytechnics; almost every medical university is incorporating technologies and product-focused departments. Another trend is artificial intelligence, which will be used in both education and practice. Technological innovations, such as digital twins, are becoming especially important, as they can replace real people in patient care," Irina Sergeeva emphasized.

Health maintenance and prevention are also very important for people today, and general health assessments—checkups—are becoming a fashionable trend, which is also influencing medical education.

"According to some medical approaches, a doctor treats illnesses, not health. Meanwhile, conducting a checkup and responding to the tests conducted should not only be aimed at identifying the disease but also at interpreting the results and supporting the patient's health, which is what most of our patients request," noted Irina Sergeeva.

In medical education, a certain tension between the personal and the social will persist, as education in other fields is more rapid, while medical education takes longer. The trend toward interdisciplinarity will also persist.

Following Irina Sergeeva's presentation, a plenary session began, dedicated to various aspects of obesity. The session was interdisciplinary and featured a new scientific kaleidoscope format—short presentations from various fields of medicine on the topic of obesity.

Elena Aksenova, Deputy Minister of Health of the Novosibirsk Region, noted in her report that among the main risks for developing non-communicable chronic diseases, along with poor diet and low physical activity, are excess weight and obesity as a diagnosis. Obesity reduces life expectancy, and the higher the stage of obesity, the higher these risks, as confirmed by research. Therefore, the government is taking a number of measures aimed at reducing risk factors. One of the projects being implemented at the federal level is the "Health for Everyone" project. It aims to expand preventive services, such as health centers and preventive medical centers and departments. It also includes strengthening municipal and corporate programs at enterprises and resuming occupational health care at enterprises, where screenings and medical observations are conducted in the workplace.

As part of the University Meetings, an exhibition is being held featuring the city's medical institutions that serve as clinical training sites for NSU students and residents. The exhibition also showcases NSU's IMMT pilot project—an exhibition of prototype simulators for practicing practical skills.

On December 11th, three sections on various topics were organized after lunch: cardiology and neurology; allergology, dermatology, and cosmetology; and gastroenterology and endocrinology. That same day, a roundtable discussion on medical services was held, attended by the heads of the Zdravitsa Family Medicine Center, the Pasman Clinic, and the Krasnoozersky Sanatorium. At the roundtable, Marina Kudaka, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology at ChSU, presented the results of a survey conducted among patients, doctors, and clinic managers on their priorities in medical services.

On the second day, December 12, a meeting will be held at which guests from NSU—Irina Smirnova, President of the Association of Specialists in Diseases of the AGO; Elena Kurnyavkina, Chief Physician of the Krasnozersky Sanatorium; Yulia Krinitsyna, Honorary Professor of the Institute of Medical Technologies and the Golden Dermatoscope Award winner; Daria Luchinina, Director of the Institute of Chemistry and Ecology at Vyatka State University; Lyudmila Vlasova, First Chief Physician of the Zdravitsa Medical Center; and Olga Letyaeva, Editor-in-Chief of the South Ural Medical Journal—will discuss possible career paths in medicine with students and residents.

The event will conclude with a situational role-playing game, "HIV. An Insider's View," jointly organized by students and psychology faculty from the NSU Institute of Medical and Technical Medicine. The game will address issues of social adaptation for patients living with HIV.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Scientists Institute of Philosophy and Law of NSU initiated the publication of Russia's first scientific research encyclopedic dictionary. Currently, 300 terms have been described. The publication's editorial board includes leading experts in biolaw and bioethics, representing scientific schools in Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Tomsk, and Moscow. Among the invited experts are professors and associate professors from the Institute of Philosophy and Law and Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU, Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, O.E. Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL), Higher School of Economics, Ural State Law University named after V.F. Yakovlev, Law Institute of Tomsk State University, MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, N.A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health, and Lomonosov Moscow State University.

The book is planned to be published in 2026 by one of the major Moscow publishing houses specializing in scientific publications on similar topics; both print and electronic versions will be available.

The research and publication of the dictionary was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 25-18-00338 “Anthropological bioconstitutionalism and the achievement of bioethical well-being in the system of ensuring humanitarian biosecurity: human dignity and new human rights in legal ontology and biosocial reproduction.”The grant is for three years and, in addition to the dictionary, includes thematic roundtable discussions, the publication of collective monographs, and proposals for changes to current Russian legislation.

There are publications on global and European bioethics worldwide, and this field is currently supported by UNESCO, with which Russia actively collaborates. However, in our country, no encyclopedias have yet been published that present legal bioethics as an interdisciplinary field.

"This is a study, not exactly a dictionary. In our country, physicians and philosophers publish bioethics textbooks, and, as a rule, they are aimed at different cultural environments. Philosophers publish bioethics textbooks primarily for use by philosophy students. And physicians create bioethics textbooks for use by medical students. Legal bioethics combines three areas: human rights in this area, biomedicine and the ethics of medical research, and the ethics of conduct for healthcare professionals. Thus, our publication is intended not only for the professional community—physicians—but also for lawyers, philosophers, and members of ethics committees," explained Igor Kravets, Doctor of Law, Professor, Head of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law, Chief Research Fellow at the Institute of Philosophy and Law at NSU, and project manager.

The dictionary's editorial board included approximately 20 researchers from four scientific schools—the Ural, Siberian, Krasnoyarsk, and Moscow. Among the participants were leading experts such as Andrey Medushevsky, Doctor of Philosophy and Professor at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), Mikhail Kotlovsky, Doctor of Medicine and Chief Researcher at the N.A. Sechenov National Research Institute of Public Health. Semashko" (Moscow), Valentina Komarova, Doctor of Law, Professor (MSAL), Olga Andreeva, Doctor of Law, Professor (Tomsk), Andrey Kondrashev, Doctor of Law, Professor (Krasnoyarsk), Irina Krylatova, Candidate of Law, Associate Professor (Ekaterinburg), Georgy Romanovsky, Doctor of Law, Professor (Saransk), Andrey Tulupov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk), Elena Titova, Doctor of Law, Professor (Chelyabinsk), Alexandra Troitskaya, Doctor of Law, Professor (Moscow) and other experts.

The dictionary's structure has now been established, and a table of key terms has been compiled. These terms are divided into five major sections: theory and history of bioethics, relationship with human rights; biomedicine and branches of law; bioethics and law enforcement practice; bioethics and healthcare; neuroethics and human neurorights. The structure of each term has been developed. It includes a conceptual level, that is, a definition and information about the scientific discussion of the concept or theory underlying the term; a problematic level, that is, problems of implementation and use of the term; the relationship between ethical and legal aspects in the term; and its practical implementation—either at the level of terminology or the specific institution designated by the term at the international and Russian levels.

The total number of terms described currently exceeds 300. Among the concepts presented in the dictionary are legal bioethics, a term that is still emerging; bioethical rights; neurolaw; neuroethics; cognitive dignity; biocriminology; and others.

The dictionary is compiled using UNESCO materials, reports, the results of the work of bioethics committees and scientific research, in particular the journals Bioethics, Medical Bioethics, and journals at the intersection of life sciences, human rights and law.

During the three-year period of the grant supporting the dictionary's publication, various research projects are planned within the designated topic. This year, articles were published on biosecurity and state guarantees of human biorights. On December 5, 2025, a roundtable discussion was held at NSU, which also served as a pilot study for the research conducted in the field of legal bioethics in 2025. In the third year of implementation, a collective monograph on legal bioethics is planned to be published, involving all participants who worked on the encyclopedic dictionary.

Importantly, the project has a practical focus: based on its results, it is planned to prepare three sets of proposals for improving legislation in the field of biolaw and biomedicine. The first is a proposal for legislation on public health protection. The second set, arising from it, concerns legislation on compulsory health insurance. The third set is so-called related legislation on the legal status of individuals participating in various biomedical research, the practice of establishing ethics committees, and the exercise of rights in biomedicine. This set will address issues of legal modeling and the organization of healthcare governance, and will also include the preparation of model acts regulating the activities of bioethics committees and bioethics centers.

Another result of the project will be the creation of a Center for Bioneuroethics and Bioneurolaw at Novosibirsk State University.

"Our university possesses a rare quality: we have philosophical, legal, and medical education—specialists in each of these three fields. Therefore, it's possible to create a center that will conduct research in the field of bioneurolaw, provide expert opinions, and participate in state assignments to study these issues. This will be an interdisciplinary center, inviting experts from other educational and scientific centers in Russia," added Igor Kravets.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Students Institute of Intelligent Robotics of Novosibirsk State University Nikita Zelenkov and Ilya Trushkin have developed an innovative system for interactively engaging participants at in-person events. Their project allows users to submit their photos via a Telegram bot, which, after moderation, are displayed on event screens, increasing audience engagement.

"This isn't just a photo display, but a way to draw attention to the stage and create dynamic interaction with the participants," noted Nikita Zelenkov. He added that the technology had already been successfully used at the Science Picnic held by NSU on September 1, with manual moderation.

The new development is fundamentally different from existing solutions, as it is a universal service for any event, rather than a custom project for a single occasion.

"We're the first to offer a mass service that can be used at sporting events, concerts, and youth events," emphasized Nikita Zelenkov.

The system simultaneously processes the photo queue, ensuring a smooth display of images. Currently, moderation is performed manually, but the team plans to implement an automated platform that will filter content for compliance with the law and the event's theme.

"The system will automatically filter out inappropriate photos, without the need for moderators," explained Nikita Zelenkov.

The project is designed to run even on the weakest servers; most of the software was written by the team itself, using some libraries for Telegram integration. The system is ready for deployment at events and is available as a paid service for organizers.

"Organizers pay for installation and launch, and users submit photos through the bot for free," Nikita explained.

The service's key audience is mass events with an active young audience, where a combination of entertainment and interaction is essential. The project team plans to simplify the service's use, allowing organizers to download and configure the program themselves, further automate the application's processes to improve the tool's efficiency, and expand its functionality and scope.

The project team is provided with consulting support by NSU Startup Studio.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Master's student Faculty of Information Technology Daniil Lyutaev, a researcher at NSU's Faculty of Information Technologies (FIT), under the supervision of Vladimir Borisovich Barakhnin, Doctor of Engineering Sciences and Professor in the Department of Informatics Systems at FIT NSU, developed an algorithm that automates the process of cross-lingual transfer of named entity markup (titles, names, dates, etc.) using large language models. This method will find application in many areas, including the creation of national search engines, document classification, the construction of communication networks, translation, and other fields.

Named entity recognition (i.e., words and phrases that denote unique or singular objects, such as people, organizations, locations, dates, and others) is a key task in natural language processing, the solution of which depends on the availability of high-quality annotated text corpora. Creating such corpora for new languages, especially those with insufficient digital data for processing and analysis, is resource-intensive, making the automatic cross-lingual transfer of existing annotation a pressing issue. In his paper, Daniil Lyutaev explores the effectiveness of an approach based on large language models (LLMs) to automate the process of annotation transfer from Uzbek to Russian and English.

Initially, the researcher had a large dataset of sentences (approximately 10,000) in Uzbek, in which experts had manually annotated the named entities. The document consisted of a table in which each word had a specific tag next to it, similar to HTML markup language, indicating whether the word was part of a named entity or not. The researcher's task was to automatically transcribe these sentences into another language while preserving the annotation.

"This allows us to scale labeled data to new languages without repeating the work. The labeling is done once and then transferred automatically multiple times," explains Daniil.

The master's student relied on two traditional approaches: sentence and entity translation using a translator and algorithmic matching; and sentence translation using a translator and named entity extraction without regard to the original annotation using pre-trained models. He also proposed his own approach, using large language models—in this case, GPT-4o. For each sentence, a task was formulated in a specific format with example responses. All three methods were compared using standard metrics such as precision, recall, and F1-score (the harmonic mean of the first two parameters) on 30 Russian and 30 English sentences, all manually annotated (the original language was Uzbek).

As a result, it was found that the markup can be transferred with high accuracy (F1 score ~ 0.9) even when working with morphologically different language types: Uzbek is an agglutinative language, Russian is an inflectional language, and English is an isolating language. In particular, when creating multilingual information systems, initial markup can be performed in only one language—for example, the one that requires the lowest cost.

"The goal of our work was to demonstrate that LLM can be used to solve this problem efficiently and automatically generate markup in another language. The results of the markup transfer algorithm can already be applied in many areas—search engines, document classification, building relational networks, translation, as well as for named entity extraction models themselves, where sets of marked data are needed," says Daniil.

To confirm the results, an automated back-translation evaluation was additionally conducted. This involved translating the original Uzbek sentence into a target language, such as Russian, then taking the resulting Russian sentence and translating it back into Uzbek. This back-translation was then compared with the original for semantic similarity. This evaluation is automated for any number of sentences. The second evaluation compares the semantic similarity in the target language of the application's output and a reference sentence, additionally annotated manually. The study shows that these two evaluations correlate for 30 manually annotated sentences in Russian and English.

The developed approach could contribute to achieving information sovereignty and the creation of national search engines. Besides Google, which now has virtually worldwide reach, only Russia (Yandex) and China (Baidu) have their own fully-fledged national search engines. However, there are significant populations around the world who speak Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, and German. However, these countries lack sovereign search engines.

"Existing search engines don't disclose the algorithms they use, yet they possess vast resources that are inaccessible to most countries. Our goal is to develop a system that can be replicated. Scientific knowledge is reproducible and publicly available, and our algorithms are part of science and technology. Furthermore, they are relatively simple and inexpensive to implement. Therefore, we make what Google does truly accessible. This also contributes to resolving the issue of national sovereignty in information technology, which is extremely important. The algorithm we developed will help develop national segments of the internet in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan," explains Vladimir Barakhnin.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Authorial style is inherent to writers, journalists, and all those who write texts. This fact has been widely known to philologists for decades, but has been considered primarily at a qualitative level. In recent years, Boris Yakovlevich Ryabko, a professor at the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) at Novosibirsk State University and Doctor of Engineering, along with colleagues and students, has developed a quantitative method for determining authorial style. This method utilizes the tools of mathematical statistics, allowing for the reliability of the findings to be determined.

In 2025, Boris Ryabko and his co-authors published a paper Ryabko B., Savina N., Lulu YG, Han Y. The Amount of Data Required to Recognize a Writer's Style Is Consistent Across Different Languages of the World // Entropy. – 2025. – Vol.27. – Iss. 10. – Art.1039. — ISSN 1099-4300, in which, using the developed method, it was shown that the minimum volume of text necessary to determine the author's style is approximately the same for Russian, English, Chinese and the Amharic language used in Ethiopia.

"These languages belong to very distant language groups, and even the question of comparing text length is not so straightforward for them. For example, Russian letters are not comparable to Chinese characters, as each character can be translated into Russian as a whole word, and sometimes even a sentence. It's worth noting that in the study under review, text size was estimated in kilobytes for all languages, meaning the same units," commented Boris Ryabko.

It is important to note that the article's co-authors, Yeshewas Getachew Lulu (Ethiopia) and Yi Han Yunfei (China), are graduate students at the NSU Faculty of Information Technologies (FIT) under the supervision of Professor B. Ya. Ryabko. The paper was published in October in a journal ranked in the top quarter of the best scientific journals by citation frequency (Q1) according to the international classification, and, judging by the number of readings, is generating considerable interest.

The method described in the article was previously used by B. Ya. Ryabko and his colleagues to determine the authorship of literary works (in some cases, the authors of works are unknown or the authorship is questionable, such as with Shakespeare). The method proposed by B. Ya. Ryabko can find practical application in assessing the quality of various translations and the qualifications of translators, including computer translations, and can also be used to identify unauthorized borrowings and other forms of plagiarism.

"The quality of a translation can significantly influence the perception of the translated work. The proposed approach has been applied to the analysis of literary translations. According to this approach, the better the translation, the more it preserves the author's style, and this "degree of preservation" can be quantified. Another important new area of application is assessing the quality of "machine" or "computer" translations performed by various programs. This has not yet been conducted, although such translators play a significant role in modern society. Another, more "prosaic" area of application is identifying parts of a text written by different authors, including fragments written by "artificial intelligence." This task is especially relevant for universities, and perhaps even schools, where the fight against plagiarism in student papers is quite intensive. The described method can be applied to this problem as well," explained Boris Ryabko.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Winter in the Novosibirsk region is both the coldest and cloudiest time of year, with long periods often characterized by virtually no clearing skies. When clear skies do arrive, they are typically accompanied by a significant drop in temperature—down to -30 degrees Celsius or lower. Therefore, Siberian conditions for astronomical observations in winter are certainly not ideal, as low temperatures make outdoor activities uncomfortable and can also significantly impact the performance of equipment used for both visual observations and astrophotography.

However, these circumstances do not change the course of the astronomical calendar, and in this review we will consider the most interesting astronomical events that await us in Novosibirsk and its surrounding areas this winter.

The most interesting astronomical events of the winter of 2025-2026.

December 13/14. Peak of the Geminid meteor shower. The Geminids are one of the so-called "Big Three" meteor showers, which also include the Perseids in August and the Quadrantids in January. They consistently produce high meteor activity each year, with rates reaching 80 and even 100 meteors per hour, peaking on December 13 and 14. A distinctive feature of this meteor shower is that it has no active parent object, and its origin is likely asteroidal rather than cometary—meaning its particles were not ejected from a cometary nucleus, but formed as a result of an asteroid collision. This hypothesis is also supported by the orbit of the shower's particles, which is not highly elongated and is more characteristic of objects in the asteroid belt than comets. Because asteroid particles are denser, this leads to Geminid meteors having longer flight paths and are often quite bright, as the stream's particles burn up longer in the Earth's atmosphere than particles from cometary streams.

The Geminid radiant is located in the constellation Gemini. In December, this constellation is above the horizon almost all night, so the Geminid meteors can be observed throughout the night, although very early in the evening the radiant is not yet very high above the horizon, which reduces the number of visible meteors of the shower, but makes their flight across the sky longer.

In 2025, the Geminid meteor shower will peak on the night of December 13/14, with activity levels averaging 75-80 meteors per hour for almost the entire night. High activity will also be observed during the first half of the night of December 14/15, but will quickly taper off during the night, dropping from 80 meteors per hour in the evening to approximately 20 meteors per hour by morning. Furthermore, comparatively moderate activity is expected on the night preceding the peak, December 12/13, with activity increasing from 20 to 35 meteors per hour from evening until morning. The waning moon rising in the morning will not significantly interfere with Geminid observations during these December days.

December 31st. Lunar Occultation of the Pleiades. The series of occultations of the beautiful Pleiades star cluster by Earth's satellite, which occurs every 18 years, continues. This 18-year period is equal to the duration of the lunar Saros (Draconic Period), which is determined by the precession of the lunar orbit. In other words, this is the period of precession of the Moon's orbit. The Pleiades cluster is located in the sky slightly above the ecliptic, but due to precession and the lunar orbital inclination of approximately 5 degrees, the Moon, in its apparent motion across the sky, periodically (every 18 years) "reaches" the Pleiades and causes a series of occultations of the cluster.

At Novosibirsk's latitude, the current series of occultations began in mid-2024 and will end in March 2028. Occultations occur approximately once a month (more precisely, every 29 days, which corresponds to the lunar sidereal period). However, occultations occur at different times of day, and not all of them are visible from Novosibirsk.

To observe the Pleiades occultation (which is essentially a series of lunar occultations of the stars in the Pleiades cluster), you'll need binoculars or a telescope. As the Moon orbits the Earth, it passes in front of the Pleiades stars, temporarily obscuring them from Earth. Through binoculars or a telescope, you'll see the Moon gradually approaching various cluster stars, then at some point disappearing behind the lunar disk, only to reappear shortly on the other side.

This occultation will occur on New Year's Eve, or more precisely, on New Year's Eve, December 31, shortly after dark. The Moon is approximately 88% in phase, and the Pleiades cluster will have already risen high enough for comfortable observation with a telescope or binoculars. When observing or photographing the occultation, it's best to use a tripod or astronomical mount to stabilize the image.

Here are the coverage parameters of the brightest stars of the Pleiades for Novosibirsk:

Electra. Start at 18:54:00, altitude 39°, end at 19:51:41, altitude 47°.

Taygetus. Start at 19:23:24, altitude 44°, end at 20:06:23, altitude 49°.

Maya. Start at 19:24:53, altitude 44°, end at 20:26:59, altitude 51°.

January 6/7. Lunar occultation of Regulus. On the evening of January 6, the lunar occultation of the fairly bright star Regulus (magnitude 1.4) will occur. It will not pass very high above the horizon, but in clear skies it will be quite visible with a telescope or binoculars. The occultation will begin at 10:25:24 PM, when the Moon is 9° above the horizon, and the star will emerge from behind the Moon at 11:23:32 PM, when the Moon is 17° above the horizon.

January 28. Lunar Occultation of the Pleiades. Another lunar occultation of the Pleiades, visible this winter from Novosibirsk, will occur about a month later, on January 28. However, conditions for this occultation will be significantly worse. It will occur late at night, and the altitude of the Moon and the occulted cluster stars will be only a few degrees. Nevertheless, for the sake of completeness, we present information on this occultation as well:

Electra. Start at 04:29:06, altitude 6°, end at 04:57:08, altitude 3°.

Taygetus. Start at 04:31:23, altitude 6°, end at 05:15:41, altitude 1°.

Maya. Start at 04:40:39, altitude 5°, end at 05:29:01, altitude 0°.

Meteor showers

December 22/23. The Ursid meteor shower peaks. This meteor shower originates from comet 8P/Tuttle. Its typical annual activity peaks at 8-10 meteors per hour, although occasional spikes of up to several dozen meteors per hour are possible. No significant, unusual peaks are expected in the winter of 2025. The shower's radiant is located in the constellation Ursa Minor and remains fairly high above the horizon throughout the night. The shower's peak is quite sharp, so during the night of December 22/23, it is expected to produce around 7 meteors per hour in the evening, then reach a maximum of 9-10 meteors per hour around 3:00 a.m., and by morning, drop to 4-5 meteors per hour. The moon will not interfere with observations.

January 3/4. Peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower. The Quadrantids are another of the "big three" showers, along with the Geminids and Perseids, but in 2026 its peak will be obscured by the moon. Its name comes from the now-defunct constellation Quadrantus Muralis, whose place is now occupied by the constellations Bootes, Draco, and Hercules. The shower's radiant remains above the horizon all night, but during the first half of the night, its altitude is low, around 20°, and it rises to a good height towards morning. Generally, the Quadrantids are active enough for a significant number of meteors to be visible even despite the moon, so in 2026, the best time to observe them is in the pre-dawn hours of January 4, between 4 and 8 AM. The shower's peak is quite narrow, unlike the Geminid showers, and will occur earlier in the day, but activity is still expected to be quite high during this period, with approximately 70 to 55 meteors per hour expected between 4 and 8 a.m. on January 4.

Comets

24P/Schaumasse. This is currently the main expected bright comet of the winter of 2025/2026. Comet 24P is a short-period comet with an orbital period of approximately 8 years. During this return, it will be quite favorably oriented relative to Earth, so the distance between Earth and the comet will be relatively small, about 0.6 AU in late December – early January. Due to this, the comet is expected to reach a brightness of approximately 8th magnitude in early January, making it a clearly visible object even in modest amateur telescopes and binoculars. However, one should not expect a particularly impressive appearance from Comet 24P. If its past returns are any guide, it will appear typical of its class of short-period comets – a fuzzy, spherical coma (blue-green in the photo) and a faint tail. Throughout the winter, this comet will be visible in the second half of the night, rising highest in the sky in the morning. Its brightness is expected to increase from approximately magnitude 10 in early December to magnitude 8 in early January, and then, by the end of winter, the comet will dim again to approximately magnitude 10. However, it should be noted that comets do not always behave predictably; they may experience outbursts of activity, or, conversely, appear weaker than expected, or even disintegrate, although for periodic comets this uncertainty is generally lower.

C/2024 E1 Wierzchos. The second brightest comet expected this winter, it will be visible in the southern sky for most of the winter, including its perihelion on January 20th, at a distance of 0.57 AU from the Sun. Accordingly, the comet will not be visible at the latitude of Novosibirsk during its expected maximum brightness of 5 magnitudes. However, it will become visible in the pre-dawn hours of the second half of February, before it has had time to significantly fade. If it survives perihelion, its brightness at this time is expected to be between 6th and 7th magnitude, making it observable in amateur telescopes and binoculars. Unlike Comet 24P, this comet is highly likely to have a pronounced tail, making it a good target for observations and astrophotography in late winter and early spring 2026.

Connections

A series of conjunctions between Jupiter and the Moon. In the winter of 2025–2026, several conjunctions of the Moon and Jupiter will be clearly visible. While not particularly close, they will still be quite spectacular. The first of these will occur on December 7/8, with the optimal viewing time being approximately 11 PM to midnight. At this time, the Moon will be directly above Jupiter, approximately 3 degrees above it. Jupiter itself will appear bright to the naked eye—a 2.5th magnitude star.

The second interesting conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter will occur on the night of January 3/4, with the best time to observe it being around 7:00 a.m. on January 4. The distance from the Moon to Jupiter will also be about 3 degrees, although slightly closer than the conjunction on December 7.

Jupiter and the Moon will also conjoin on January 31 and February 27, but they won't look as interesting because their periods of minimum angular separation will be below the horizon, meaning they won't be visible in Novosibirsk.

February 25/26. Conjunction of the Moon and the star Nat. Nat is a relatively bright star in the constellation Taurus, with a brightness of magnitude 1.7. On the night of February 25/26, the Moon will pass it at an angular distance of approximately 0.8 degrees, so Nat will be visible slightly above the waxing moon. The best viewing time is between 12:30 AM and 1:30 AM on February 26.

Explanation: The precession of the nodes of the lunar orbit is the rotation of the plane of the lunar orbit around an axis perpendicular to the ecliptic, which causes a constant shift of the nodes of the lunar orbit with a period of their complete revolution along the orbit of the Moon equal to 18.6 years.

Typically, various astronomical phenomena can be observed over a relatively large area. Depending on the specific event, they can be visible, for example, in different regions of Siberia or Russia as a whole, or throughout the entire Northern or Eastern Hemisphere, or even worldwide. This review provides information on the notable, unusual, and interesting astronomical phenomena that can be observed in Novosibirsk and its surrounding area in the winter of 2025-2026.

It may well turn out that Novosibirsk will not be the optimal place for observing any of the phenomena mentioned in the review, and this phenomenon will be better visible in other points on our planet; however, the visibility conditions are given specifically for Novosibirsk.

The material was prepared by: Mikhail Maslov, leading engineer of the Vega Observatory at NSU

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Specialists from JSC TsNITI Tekhnomash (part of the Rostec State Corporation) presented a working prototype of the first domestically developed microprocessor-controlled hydraulic foot prosthesis at the Congress of Young Scientists held in Sochi. This innovative design is designed to dramatically improve the quality of life of amputees. Unlike most existing passive prostheses, this new device mimics natural gait biomechanics by using an intelligent control system for the hydraulic system.

As part of R&D, NSU employees developed and manufactured important elements of the prosthesis.

"Our task, as part of our contract with our partner, was to develop and manufacture the prosthesis' chassis and tires—composite elements made of carbon fiber and fiberglass, as well as decorative polymer overshoes. A passive version of the prosthesis, assembled from the developed elements, was successfully tested by an amputee. The results obtained using the biomechanical analysis system we were developing showed that the developed prosthesis achieves the required gait parameters," explained the head of the Biomechanics and Medical Engineering research group. Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU Vladimir Serdyukov.

"This is a strategically important project for us as part of the import substitution and development program for high-tech medical products in Russia," noted Technomash representative Maxim Bobkin. "Cooperation with scientists from NSU in this case allowed us to successfully complete a full-scale development in a relatively short timeframe—from modeling the prosthesis's parameters to analyzing its walking characteristics in a clinical setting. Continued collaboration with the university will allow us to conduct comprehensive research and refine the development with the participation of amputees, which will enable us to bring an innovative and in-demand product to market."

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

In the Laboratory of Nuclear and Innovative Medicine Faculty of Physics of Novosibirsk State University A CT scan of minipigs was conducted for the first time. This study was conducted last week as part of a scientific collaboration between the Novosibirsk State University Laboratory of Animal Health, Physics, and scientists from the E.N. Meshalkin National Medical Research Center of the Russian Ministry of Health. Two Minisibs pigs, bred at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, were used as animal models. Each animal weighed 80 kg and was two years old. The study lasted approximately one hour per animal. Only one area of the body—the chest—was scanned, as the scientists needed to obtain high-quality 3D images of heart and lung sections. The minipigs were anesthetized during the procedures. The study will continue next year.

— Today, specialists from the National Medical Research Center named after Academician E.N. Meshalkina, together with NSU scientists, is conducting multislice computed tomography of the heart with contrast as part of their scientific activities. Our goal is to identify the features of the anatomical structure of the heart in two individuals of mini-pigs. The results of computed tomography will complement our electrophysiological study of the heart, which will allow us to obtain a complete electro-anatomical picture of the heart of these animals, on the basis of which in the future we will be able to conduct research aimed at the use of cellular technologies. The goal of today’s collaborative research is to determine the exact anatomical structure of each animal’s heart. Previously, we could only obtain information about the electrophysiological structure of the heart of animals, which did not provide an idea of ​​the topographic distribution of its sections in each individual animal. However, in our experience, even in individuals from the same drainage, the structure and size of the heart and its chambers are different. Thanks to the technical capabilities of LNAIM NSU, we can take advantage of the unique opportunity to conduct a multispiral computed tomographic study, and then, on the basis of our own experimental biological clinic, do electrophysiological mapping of the heart and obtain a comprehensive electroanatomical map for each animal. Thus, for each animal model studied, we will have a topographical and electroanatomical picture of the heart. In the next step, we will combine them to determine exactly where the pacemakers of the heart are located in relation to the precise topographic anatomy of each animal. Such studies can be carried out in large scientific centers – for example, at Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov or at Sechenov University. This is the first time such a study has been carried out beyond the Urals, said a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Morphology of the Institute of Experimental Biology and Medicine of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “National Medical Research Center named after. Academician E.N. Meshalkin” of the Ministry of Health of Russia David Sergeevichev.

The cardiac pacemaker is a section of the heart muscle (the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes) that generates electrical impulses, setting the heart rate and rhythm. It is a natural "generator" that ensures the coordinated functioning of all parts of the heart.

The research is being conducted to develop a biologically derived cardiac pacemaker. Researchers at the E.N. Meshalkin National Medical Research Center of the Russian Ministry of Health are conducting this research under an interdisciplinary grant from the Russian Science Foundation. Comprehensive research is required to obtain additional information on the electroanatomical topographic structure of the heart, so that during experiments, scientists can accurately position the pacemaker in areas of the heart where its activity can be recorded.

"Mini-sibs are an ideal animal model for two reasons. First, their weight and height are very similar to humans. As adults, they reach an average weight of 70 kg, with some individuals reaching 100-130 kg, but never exceeding this weight. Second, the anatomical structure of these animals' hearts is quite similar to that of humans, and their electrical structure is almost identical to that of humans. Therefore, in terms of the applicability of experimental research results, they are an excellent model for translating animal experiments into human clinical practice," explained David Sergeevich.

This isn't the first time NSU LYAIM PhD specialists have performed CT scans on such large animals. As part of a project for preclinical trials of neutron capture therapy for cancer, they conducted similar studies on large-breed dogs, including some weighing approximately 60 kg. However, the anatomical structure of mini-pigs differs significantly from that of dogs, so the scientists had to practice positioning the animals on the CT table.

"The CT scan went quite quickly, as we were working with only one area—the chest—and specifically scanning the heart and blood vessels. Due to the animals' large body sizes, we had to adjust the settings and create new protocols, but this didn't present any difficulties. All scanning phases were followed. We didn't encounter any anticipated complications, except for one—the animals' heavy weight. It was quite challenging to lift them onto the scanner table and secure them in the correct position. We had to first lay a blanket over the table and securely fasten the animals with straps to achieve perfect balance and symmetry. However, we gained experience working with this type of animal model, which will be useful in the future. We've previously developed skills working with a variety of animals—we've scanned not only cats, dogs, rabbits, and lab rats, but also meerkats, ferrets, and even hedgehogs," said Ulyana Krechetova, CT operator, veterinarian, and employee of the Laboratory of Animal Health and Physical Medicine at NSU.

The minipigs were transported to the NSU Laboratory of Experimental Biology and Medicine's tomography center under anesthesia under the supervision of Elena Kuznetsova, Head of the Experimental Biology Clinic at the Institute of Experimental Biology and Medicine. She noted that transporting the minipigs was straightforward due to the close proximity of both institutions. The animals were transferred quickly, so the anesthetic stress on their bodies was minimal.

"We use a modern anesthetic, the same one used in all veterinary clinics, at the same dosages calculated per kilogram of body weight. We calculated the drug's effect for two hours. One hour was spent preparing the animals for the procedures and transporting them. Another hour was required for the CT scan and the return trip. Working with mini-pigs in experiments is comfortable. They tolerate anesthesia well, show no allergic reactions to the medications, and respond well to the contrast agent administered before the CT scan. They also easily enter and exit anesthesia. Today, everything went as planned, without any problems. We are very pleased that NSU now has the only CT scanner licensed for scientific work and animal studies. This opens up great opportunities for our scientists, especially when it's important to obtain scanned images of the organs and systems of the animals involved in the research, before and after the experiments, for comparison," said Elena Kuznetsova.

Collaboration between the two research organizations will continue next year. A series of CT scans on minipigs using the already established system is planned.

— Scientists at the E.N. Meshalkin National Medical Research Center frequently use these objects for research purposes, studying the cardiovascular system and practicing surgical techniques. These areas of activity are of interest to us as well. Therefore, we are interested in implementing joint projects in reconstructive medicine and cardiac surgery using new materials that are being tested specifically on these animal models. Another point of mutual interest for our organizations is that the technique of vascular tomography and the processing of the results obtained during our research have certain specific characteristics and differ from conventional software scans or reconstructions. Using this animal model will help us more deeply and, most importantly, more thoroughly master vascular bed research, which we then plan to apply to other animal species. Collaboration with scientists at the E.N. Meshalkin National Medical Research Center Meshalkin is of great scientific interest to us, as our preclinical work closely intersects with theirs, and we are very pleased to begin this joint research," said Vladimir Kanygin, Head of the NSU Laboratory of Experimental Molecular Biology and Physics.

Histological studies of the cardiac muscle tissue of mini-pigs may also yield interesting results for scientists.

"The myocardium of mini-pigs is anatomically very similar to that of humans, so the transplant material was initially taken from these animal models. Our laboratory will be able to histologically assess myocardial changes following various treatments, including medications. Our institute specializes in myocardial research, and has authored numerous scientific papers on this topic. In this case, my task will be to conduct an initial assessment of such morphological compensatory changes in samples taken following electroanatomical studies," explained Nikolai Kanygin, a junior researcher at the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Pathomorphology (FRC FTM).

That same day, staff from the Novosibirsk State University Faculty of Animal Science and Physical Medicine conducted the first CT scan of a domestic fox. The animal, a 10-year-old, 6 kg female named Zlata, was referred to a laboratory at a Novosibirsk clinic at the request of its owner. This unusual patient tolerated the anesthesia well, and no serious pathologies were detected during the examination. The fox captivated the scientists with her friendliness and beauty. They noted that working with foxes is virtually no different from working with dogs, with the exception of minor details.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.