Institute of Fundamental Medicine
Brief description and projects of laboratories Institute of Fundamental Medicine
1. THE LABORATORY OF NATURE-LIKE MATERIALS – the creation of an innovative biomaterial based on web silk for use in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
Projects:
Web Silk Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine
Purpose of the laboratory:
Creation of bioactive materials based on natural components with the possibility of modifying their structure with peptides to enhance the regenerative effect for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Laboratory tasks:
1. Develop a technology for creating materials based on web silk for tissue engineering, 3D bioprinting.
2. Develop a technology for producing hydrogels based on natural (hyaluronic acid, collagen, chitosan, gelatin) and synthetic components (polylactic acid (PLA) and poly (lactico) glycolic acid (PLGA)) for 3D bioprinting.
3. Develop a technology for modifying the materials being developed with peptides in order to stimulate and enhance regeneration.
4. Study the structure and physical and mechanical properties (window of printability, viscosity, yield strength, rigidity, tribological (friction)) of the developed materials.
5. To evaluate the biocompatibility of the developed materials in vitro and in vivo.
The main project of the laboratory is the development of biomaterials based on web silk for regenerative medicine.
In simple words, scientists study the biological and mechanical properties of the invitro web on human stem cells. The study of the structure of the web fiber is promising, since there are many ways to use this material, for example. For making 3D printing gels. Eight female spiders of the genus Chilobrachuc dyscolus live in the laboratory in terrariums specially equipped for experiments. Daily laboratory staff examine the threads of tarantula spiders brought from Southeast Asia - Vietnam.
The idea to use the web as a biomaterial was brought to the University by the rector of BSMU. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Valentin Pavlov.
Laboratory staff develop methods for collecting and processing material to create tissue-engineering structures with a regenerating purpose, study the physiological (conductivity and excitability) and mechanical (extensibility and tensile strength) properties based on web silk, as well as biological characteristics such as cell adhesion and polyferation, Invitro antibacterial activity. A lot of work in the laboratory is being done to identify the best way to sterilize the web.
In the future, laboratory scientists are preparing to create a wound-healing dressing and suture using web silk. The project is being implemented at the university as a part of the Priority 2030 program of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Science and Universities national project.
Due to properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, antibacterial properties and unique mechanics, spider silk can be used as a natural biomaterial for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Together with the laboratory of additive technologies of the world-class intercollegiate campus of the Eurasian Scientific and Educational Center, a methodology for collecting and processing cobwebs (patent registration) has been developed. On the basis of the bioprinting laboratory, cellular technologies of the Institute of Fundamental Medicine (IFM), research is being carried out on the silk of the spider web of the genus Chilobrachys dyscolus. Together with the Laboratory of the Human Microbiome of the world-class Interuniversity Campus of the Eurasian SEC, antibacterial properties are being studied. Thus, biomaterials based on web silk can be used as hydrogels of tissue-engineering structures in regenerative medicine.
The laboratory staff are young scientists under 39 years old.
2. THE LABORATORY OF CHROMATOGRAPHIC AND SPECTRAL RESEARCH METHODS
Complex studies of natural and synthetic biologically active compounds, multicomponent mixtures, isolation of individual components, separation of elements, development of new methods for analyzing the environment and technological processes, research and identification of metabolites and biomarkers of various pathological states are carried out.
Project:
1. Development of a product line for the prevention and complex therapy of diseases of the cardiovascular system, cerebrovascular accidents, inflammatory diseases of the periodontium, genitourinary and hepatobiliary system.
3. THE LABORATORY OF BIOENGINEERED TEST SYSTEMS FOR PERSONALIZED MEDICINE – 3D biomodels in vitro, imitating human tissues, most accurately recreating complex local biological processes of the human body. In the future, such models can be used for biomedical research and pharmacological tests of medicinal substances, which will potentially reduce the need to use animals in laboratory studies and improve the quality of research.
Projects:
1. Organ-on-a-chip
4. THE LABORATORY OF CELL CULTURES studies cell test systems for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, as well as research on materials for their cytotoxicity.
Projects:
1. Creation of a technology for assessing immunocompatibility of materials and substances based on human monocytes.
2. Creation of a technology for assessing the state of immunity in patients with diabetes mellitus and obesity.
3. Bioengineered gut.
4. Building a leukocyte migration model system for prostate cancer diagnosis
5. THE BIOPRINTING LABORATORY – conducting problem-oriented scientific research in the field of bioprinting, tissue engineering, biomaterial science in order to develop and implement theoretical and engineering solutions for regenerative medicine.
Projects:
1. Composite bone-cartilage bioimplant
Purpose of the laboratory:
Creation of bioequivalents of organs and tissues using 3D bioprinting technology for regenerative medicine.
Laboratory tasks:
1. develop a technology for obtaining and culturing autologous cells: mesenchymal stromal stem cells (MSCs) and autologous chondrocytes of humans and laboratory animals (rabbit).
2. optimize the technology for creating 3D cellular spheroids from MSCs and autologous chondrocytes.
3. Select the optimal materials for physical, mechanical and biological parameters based on natural and synthetic components for 3D bioprinting.
4. Develop technology for bioprinting with cellular spheroids (for example, chondrospheroids), MSCs for tissue-engineering constructs, for example, cartilage
5. Evaluate the viability, mechanistic properties of the obtained tissue-engineering constructs to select the optimal characteristics for bioprinting.
6. In vivo studies of tissue-engineered constructs (e.g. rabbit osteoarthritis model to assess regeneration).
1. The main project of the laboratory is the creation of a composite bone-cartilage bioimplant to replace bone-cartilage defects in osteoarthritis, post-traumatic injuries. The uniqueness of this project consists in combining the cartilage component with the bone component into a single structure. Cartilage and bone components are created using modern 3D printing technologies. The composite bone-cartilage bioimplant is a biomimetic bone component based on ceramic hydroxyapatite paste produced on the basis of the Center for Technologies and Materials (Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology). We work closely with the laboratory of additive technologies that create 3D digital models of the pathological section of cartilage with a detailed structure of the defect, size, number of layers. This model is transferred to a bioprinter for printing the cartilage construct. Our part of the work involves creating a tissue-engineered cartilage construct using 3D bioprinting. The tissue-engineered cartilage construct is a combination of autologous chondrocytes (cells of cartilage tissue obtained from a patient or laboratory animal (rabbit) and a matrix scaffold, which is a hydrogel made of natural components, for example hyaluronic acid, subjected to enhance the regenerative effect. To assess the consistency of the obtained tissue-engineered cartilage construct, this construct will be implanted in a laboratory animal for analysis of regenerative capacity.
Number of employees under 39: 80%
6. THE LABORATORY OF MORPHOLOGY – research in the field of nanotechnology, tissue engineering, the study of the properties and mechanisms of regulation of mesenchymal stem cells, the search for markers for the early diagnosis of various diseases. In addition, clinical work is carried out, including differential diagnosis of cancer. Cultural, cytological, cytochemical, histological, immunocytochemical, electron microscopic, biochemical, morphometric and some other research methods are used. Students have a unique opportunity to study various organs with different pathologies on the most modern equipment.
Projects:
1. Oncology Digital Database
2. Analysis of innate immunity
Purpose of the laboratory:
Study and analysis of morphological structures (cell, tissue, organ) of humans and animals in order to identify and describe their forms, structure and pathology
Laboratory tasks:
1. preparation of samples of tissue samples with a description of their structure and pathology
1.1. Histotechnical cycle control
1.2. Application of histochemical and immunohistochemical methods
2. Study of innate immunity in various nosology (prostate cancer, COVID-19). Scientific consultant: Kzhyshkovska Yulia Georgievna, prof., Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of Lab. translational cellular and molecular biomedicine TSU, prof. University of Heidelberg (Germany)
3. Microscopic analysis of experimental models of cardiovascular catastrophes (myocardial ischemia, ischemic stroke, inferior vena cava thrombosis).
4. Creation of a database of digital images of various nosology with markup of pathology areas.
The Laboratory of Morphology deals with 3 main tasks: science, clinical work and education. Under the guidance of Yu. G. Kryzhkovsk, using an immunohistochemical reaction, we can evaluate the expression of macrophages in and around tumor tissue, evaluate which macrophages prevail, M1 or M2. An analysis of innate immunity is also carried out for infectious pathologies such as COVID-19. The laboratory has a scanning microscope Pannoramic 250 with the ability to digitize material, accumulate it, make markings, thus, together with clinical data, molecular genetics results, histological picture, we are engaged in accumulating databases for artificial intelligence. As a clinical work, lifetime diagnostics of material from the BSMU clinic is underway, primarily oncourology. In the educational cluster, students see the entire accumulated practical and scientific layer of knowledge, scientific circles participate in the work of the laboratory, seminars are held for schoolchildren. Our digital class is one of the best in the entire Russian Federation.