Search by tag «Biomedicine» 19 results

• ITMO’s New Compound Disables Disease-Producing Genes 17 Times Faster Than Counterparts

  Scientists from ITMO University have created a new compound – bivalent DNAzymes: these are short, connected therapeutic DNA chains. The compound has four “arms” and two cores that enable it to find the target sequence even in the complex twisted messenger RNA of a gene, then bind with this site, and cleave it. Among the solution’s possible applications are new treatments for viral, oncological, and hereditary diseases at early stages. The DNAzyme was described in a paper published in Nucleic Acids Research.

  11.06.2024

• New by ITMO Scientists: Digital Service to Facilitate Artificial Enzymes for Industry and Medicine

  Researchers from ITMO University have developed a web platform that is capable of predicting a nanozyme’s (artificial enzyme) capability to accelerate chemical reactions – with high accuracy and in mere seconds. Apart from being free, the platform is user-friendly, as it’s equipped with a ChatGPT-based assistant. Among its applications is the development of new cancer treatments and sensors of hazardous materials. The platform was described in a paper published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

  31.05.2024

• ITMO’s Monday Science Roundup #49

  If you’ve been wondering what scientific advances have been made at ITMO over the past two weeks, wonder no more! From major strides in medical research to identifying game addiction – and an ambitious science art exhibition – here are the key new moments in ITMO’s science life.

  26.02.2024

• Minimally Invasive Method for Urethral Catheter Cleaning Suggested at ITMO

  A team of researchers from ITMO, Chelyabinsk State University, and Southern Federal University have suggested a new minimally invasive and safe method for the cleaning of urethral catheters. The new approach involves soft magnetic robots that are nearly 100% effective at removing bacteria-containing biofilm from medical devices. Controlled remotely by a magnetic field, the robots will help prevent the spread of infections, reducing the need for frequent catheter replacement, which is a painful procedure. The new method was described in an article published in ACS Nano.

  15.11.2023

• ITMO Researchers Produce Magnetic Spider Silk-Based Structures for Implantology and Targeted Drug Delivery

  Scientists from ITMO University have created a magnetic material capable of promoting tissue regeneration by utilizing silk of the Linothele fallax spiders, which holds promise for implantology and tissue regeneration. In the material, the silk makes up a scaffold for cell growth, while the medications, which reach the target under the influence of the magnetic field, accelerate recovery. The drug was successfully tested in vitro – and described in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.

  09.11.2023

• Researchers Develop New Selective Anti-Cancer Compounds

  In collaboration, researchers from two Russian universities have developed compounds that trigger programmable death in cancer cells and tested their efficiency on cervical tumor samples. The new compounds do not affect healthy cells, their toxicity being eight times lower than that of doxorubicin, a commonly used cancer treatment. This means that in the future, treatments using the new compound may help avoid the common side effects of chemotherapy.

  18.09.2023

• ITMO Researchers Propose New Production Method for Biosensor Nanoparticles

  Physicists from ITMO’s International Research and Educational Center for Physics of Nanostructures have proposed a method of generating plasmonic chiral nanoparticles with the help of “twisted” laser radiation. The obtained structures can be used in biosensors and polarized photodetectors, detect impurities in gasses and liquids, as well as purify medications.

  08.09.2023

• Cancer Explained: How Scientists Can Tame the Disease

  Started by a single mutation in a cell, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide that killed nearly 10 million people in 2020. In the article, Evgeniya Platonova, a Master’s student at ITMO’s SCAMT Institute, explains what cancer is and how it starts, and shares what medical advances are already helping to combat the disease.

  28.04.2023

• ITMO's Monday Science Roundup #26

  It’s been a while since our latest digest of all things science at ITMO – so strap in for an extra-packed edition! From staggering medical breakthroughs to a whole slew of new Master’s programs, there’s plenty to get you excited about the future of research.

  20.03.2023

• ITMO Scientists Create Ultra-Broadband Carbon Dots With Biomedical Applications

  Carbon nanodots are a new trend in science, now used in smart packaging, warranty tags and with potential applications in diagnostics and tumor visualization. However, in order to be used in biomedicine, carbon nanodots have to be made visible through the human skin. This has recently been achieved by researchers from ITMO University, the Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, and North Ossetian State University, who synthesized nanodots with unique properties: they can radiate and absorb light in the infrared spectrum. Such newly developed dots can be used for tissue visualization in medicine. Learn more about the new carbon dots synthesis method and its practical applications in this article.

  14.10.2022