Research

The fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria continues, with nanoparticles coming to the rescue – combined with pharmaceuticals, they can break through cellular barriers and strike at the heart of the disease. However, testing the various combinations of nanoparticles and antibiotics can be a lengthy process of synthesis and experimentation.

Just recently, researchers from ITMO’s ChemBio Cluster unveiled the first-ever screening model that can assess the efficiency of these combinations with the help of machine learning, cutting down the required time to mere days. The model has already identified several promising pairings that will now be tested experimentally.

Read more: ITMO Scientists' New Screening Platform Predicts Antibiotic-Nanoparticle Combinations

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ITMO Scientists Study Gradient Structures in Cobalt Solution Sediments

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ITMO alumna Iulia Ruzankina majored in laser technologies and established a career in metal and mineral processing. However, a personal loss motivated her to make a shift: now in charge of her own startup, she and her team are working on a next-gen photonic endoscope to be used in cancer therapy. As the project nears the beginning of in vitro and in vivo trials, Iulia sat down with ITMO.NEWS to discuss her path as a researcher and entrepreneur.

Read more: Lasers for Medicine: ITMO Alumna’s Startup Aims to Improve Cancer Treatment

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New City, New Job, Better Salary: ITMO Master’s Student Shares Her Experience

Culture

There’s little doubt that AI could ever replace art… but it could help us preserve it. A recent ITMO-curated workshop at the historic Tsarskoe Selo complex set an ambitious goal: to use neural networks to restore unique artwork that’s been lost for almost a century. Several dozen local students used their personal expertise in various fields – from computer science and product design to art restoration and architecture – to reproduce the resplendent 18th-century interior panels that were destroyed in WWII. The resulting designs will now be used by artists as the basis for historically accurate replicas.

Read more: ITMO and Friends of St. Petersburg Project Restore Lost Paintings with AI

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Another of this month’s collaborations between ITMO and the Tsarskoe Selo museum is Crypto / Farm, a new science art exhibition curated by the university Art & Science Center. Hosted within the newly-restored Imperial Farm complex, it includes art installations that use the latest technologies to comment on humanity’s relationship with nature and heritage. The exhibition is currently open and will remain available to visitors until November 2, 2025.

Read more: Crypto / Farm, New Exhibition by Artists from ITMO, Launches at Tsarskoye Selo State Preserve

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The nature of science and engineering is such that for every world-famous and long-lasting invention, there’s a dozen lesser-known ones that outlived their usefulness, were too ahead of their time, or… were simply too quirky for their own good. Last week, we decided to take a peek at some of the most unusual and fascinating feats of engineering from Russian history – from colossal ships that give DIY a new meaning to a musical instrument that fascinates artists and filmmakers to this day. 

Read more: 5 Cool and Obscure Inventions from Russian History