The future of translational biomedical research at Nazarbayev University

The ultimate goal of fundamental biomedical research is to decipher mechanisms underlying the impairment of molecules, cells, tissues, and organs and subsequent dysfunction of the whole human body. Knowledge of these mechanisms helps discover and develop new approaches in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of various diseases. Translational biomedical research enables the application of basic scientific discoveries to diagnostics, patient care and clinical practice. Thus, translational biomedical research is a link between fundamental research, clinical research and clinical practice. Transfer of discoveries from the bench to the bedside is a very complex and time consuming process that includes pre-clinical studies and several phases of clinical trials, along with the development of clinical guidelines and protocols, and the eventual implementation of best clinical practices

Development of technology and study of optimized secreted products of stem cells for collaterogenesis

Cell therapy using stem cells is a promising strategy for the treatment of ischemic diseases, nevertheless low viability of implanted cells, is one of the main problems limiting stem cell therapy. In addition, there is a risk of proliferation of the transformed cells in mesenchymal stem cells carrying properties of cancer stem cells. Using conditioned media from stem cells instead of stem cell themselves avoids the risks that may arise with the direct use of stem cells. Conditioned media from various stem cells contains a different number of cytokines and growth factors, necessary for the natural process of new vessel formation

Development of technology and study of optimized secreted products of stem cells for collaterogenesis

Cell therapy using stem cells is a promising strategy for the treatment of ischemic diseases, nevertheless low viability of implanted cells, is one of the main problems limiting stem cell therapy. In addition, there is a risk of proliferation of the transformed cells in mesenchymal stem cells carrying properties of cancer stem cells. Using conditioned media from stem cells instead of stem cell themselves avoids the risks that may arise with the direct use of stem cells. Conditioned media from various stem cells contains a different number of cytokines and growth factors, necessary for the natural process of new vessel formation

Protective effect of peptide vaccination in murine infection with influenza virus

Vaccination is a major tool to protect people from seasonal infections of different strains of influenza virus that presently infects millions of individuals worldwide. Virus genome is highly polymorphic, and universal vaccine that protects against permanently changing virus is still under development. Despite notable differences between humans and rodents in the disease course, immunobiology and clinical evaluations, murine infectious models remain one of the major tools to test approaches for influenza vaccine development

Protective effect of peptide vaccination in murine infection with influenza virus

Vaccination is a major tool to protect people from seasonal infections of different strains of influenza virus that presently infects millions of individuals worldwide. Virus genome is highly polymorphic, and universal vaccine that protects against permanently changing virus is still under development. Despite notable differences between humans and rodents in the disease course, immunobiology and clinical evaluations, murine infectious models remain one of the major tools to test approaches for influenza vaccine development

The effects of antiviral treatment on breast cancer cell line

Background: Recent studies have revealed the positive antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of antiviral agents in cancer treatment. The real effect of adjuvant antiviral therapy is still controversial due to the lack of studies in biochemical mechanisms. Here, we studied the effect of the antiviral agent acyclovir on morphometric and migratory features of the MCF7 breast cancer cell line. Molecular levels of various proteins have also been examined. Methods: To evaluate and assess the effect of antiviral treatment on morphometric, migratory and other cellular characteristics of MCF7 breast cancer cells, the following experiments were performed: (i) MTT assay to measure the viability of MCF7 cells; (ii) Colony formation ability by soft agar assay; (iii) Morphometric characterization by immunofluorescent analysis using confocal microscopy; (iv) wound healing and transwell membrane assays to evaluate migration and invasion capacity of the cells; (v) ELISA colorimetric assays to assess expression levels of caspase-3, E-cadherin and enzymatic activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Results: We demonstrate the suppressive effect of acyclovir on breast cancer cells. Acyclovir treatment decreases the growth and the proliferation rate of cells and correlates with the upregulated levels of apoptosis associated cytokine Caspase-3. Moreover, acyclovir inhibits colony formation ability and cell invasion capacity of the cancer cells while enhancing the expression of E-cadherin protein in MCF7 cells. Breast cancer cells are characterized by high ALDH activity and associated with upregulated proliferation and invasion. According to this study, acyclovir downregulates ALDH activity in MCF7 cells. Conclusions: These results are encouraging and demonstrate the possibility of partial suppression of cancer cell proliferation using an antiviral agent. Acyclovir antiviral agents have a great potential as an adjuvant therapy in the cancer treatment. However, more research is necessary to identify relevant biochemical mechanisms by which acyclovir induces a potent anti-cancer effect

Novel avian paramyxovirus isolated from gulls in Caspian seashore in Kazakhstan.

Three isolates APMV/gull/Kazakhstan/5976/2014, APMV/gull/Kazakhstan/ 5977/2014 and APMV/gull/Kazakhstan/5979/2014, were obtained from independent samples during annual surveillance for avian influenza and paramyxoviruses in wild birds from the Caspian Sea coast in Western Kazakhstan, and were initially identified as putative paramyxoviruses on the basis of electron microscopy. Hemagglutination Inhibition Assays with antisera to nine known APMV serotypes (APMV1-9) indicated no relation to any of them. Next generation sequencing of whole genome sequences indicated the three isolates were genetically identical, and had a nucleotide structure typical for all APMVs, consisting of six genes 3'-NP-P-M-F-HN-L-5'. Phylogenetic analyses, and assessment of amino acid identities, suggested the most closely related lineages to be APMV-2, 8, 10 and 15, but the novel isolate had less than 64% identity to them and all other known avian paramyxoviruses. This value was above levels considered to generally define other APMV serotypes. Estimates of the evolutionary divergence of the nucleotide sequences of the genomes of APMVs have shown that novel Kazakhstan APMV strain was closest to APMV-2, APMV-8, APMV-10 and APMV-15, with calculated distance values of 2.057, 2.058, 2.026 and 2.286 respectively, which is above values considered to differentiate other serotypes (observed minimum was 1.108 between APMV-1 and recently isolated APMV/UPO216/Korea). Together, the data suggest that isolate APMV/gull/Kazakhstan/5976/2014 and other two should be considered as the first representative of a novel APMV-20 group, and is the first time that avian paramyxoviruses have been found infecting members of the gull family, extending the known taxonomic host range

The use of modern technologies in the pathology of the nose in the north of Western Siberia

The article describes the incidence of nasal and paranasal sinus in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District,outlines proposals for optimizing treatment to reduce the incidence and expectation of patients requiring routine surgical treatment. Introduced hospital replacing minimally invasive technologies in outpatient settings (endoscopic using of the shaver system, radiosurgical methods), simultaneous operations were introduced. Use of a substitution therapy hospital allowed to reduce waiting times for a planned operation with nasal and paranasal sinusitis for 6 months (from 8 months to 2 weeks), due to an increase in the number of operations 5 times, given the climatic conditions of the North of Western SiberiaВ статье описана заболеваемость патологией носа и околоносовых пазух в Ханты-Мансийском автономном округе, изложены предложения по оптимизации лечения для снижения заболеваемости и ожидания пациентов требующих планового хирургического лечения. Внедрены стационар замещающие малоинвазивные технологии в амбулаторных условиях (эндоскопические с применением шейверной системы, радиохирургические методы), внедрены симультанные операции. Применение стационар замещающих технологий позволили, снизить сроки ожидания на плановую операцию с заболеванием носа и околоносовых пазух на 6 месяцев (с 8 месяцев до 2-х недель), в связи с увеличением количество операций 5 раз, учитывая климатические условия Севера Западной Сибири

Lovastatin Protects against Experimental Plague in Mice

Background: Plague is an ectoparasite-borne deadly infection caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium classified among the group A bioterrorism agents. Thousands of deaths are reported every year in some African countries. Tetracyclines and cotrimoxazole are used in the secondary prophylaxis of plague in the case of potential exposure to Y. pestis, but cotrimoxazole-resistant isolates have been reported. There is a need for additional prophylactic measures. We aimed to study the effectiveness of lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug known to alleviate the symptoms of sepsis, for plague prophylaxis in an experimental model. Methodology: Lovastatin dissolved in Endolipide was intraperitoneally administered to mice (20 mg/kg) every day for 6 days prior to a Y. pestis Orientalis biotype challenge. Non-challenged, lovastatin-treated and challenged, untreated mice were also used as control groups in the study. Body weight, physical behavior and death were recorded both prior to infection and for 10 days post-infection. Samples of the blood, lungs and spleen were collected from dead mice for direct microbiological examination, histopathology and culture. The potential antibiotic effect of lovastatin was tested on blood agar plates. Conclusions/Significance: Lovastatin had no in-vitro antibiotic effect against Y. pestis. The difference in the mortality between control mice (11/15; 73.5%) and lovastatin-treated mice (3/15; 20%) was significant (P,0.004; Mantel-Haensze