Финляндия: инструменты инновационной политики в условиях кризиса национальной инновационной системы

Purpose: the for a long time Finland’s national innovation system (NIS) had been being one of the most successful and effective in the world. But some years ago the situation changed: Finland’s NIS run into system crisis. And today Finnish government tries to work out anticrisis innovation policy. So the purpose of this article is to show up the innovation policy instruments which are able put an end to the crisis and to determine conditions of their successful use. Methods: the article is based on the national innovation systems concept and government policy-mix aimed at the NIS development. Results: the authors show up how Finnish government looks for optimal policy-mix to overcome the crisis, demonstrate in details complementary components of the relevant innovation policy, describe conditions for their success and effectiveness to consider whether they are useful in other countries. Conclusions and Relevance: to overcome the NIS crisis the Finnish government uses such instruments as strategic programs of socio-economic development with targets which can’t be achieved without adequate high technology and innovative development complemented by incentives to make business innovate actively. The conditions of such policy success are: 1) such feature of Finnish society as all stakeholders of economic development consensus on one issue: the main factor of development are innovations; 2) anticrisis stage of Finnish innovative policy is based previously accumulated knowledge and know-how. Цель: Финляндия, будучи долгое время образцом успешного развития инновационных процессов, несколько лет назад столкнулась с кризисом национальной инновационной системы (НИС) и в настоящее время проводит инновационную политику, направленную на преодоление этого кризиса. Выявить на примере Финляндии антикризисные инструменты инновационной политики и показать условия их успешного применения – цель этой статьи. Методология проведения работы: Статья основана на концепции национальных инновационных систем и сочетания инструментов (policy-mix) государственной инновационной политики, направленной на их развитие. Результаты работы: В статье выявлены направления поиска государственными органами власти Финляндии оптимального сочетания (policy-mix) инструментов инновационной политики в условиях кризиса НИС, подробно рассмотрены дополняющие друг друга компоненты, составляющие основу текущей инновационной политики Финляндии, показаны условия их результативности, что дает возможность оценить применимость данного инструментария для НИС других стран. Выводы: Для преодоления кризиса НИС в Финляндии используется прежде всего сочетание таких инструментов как государственные стратегические программы социального и экономического толка, осуществление которых возможно только на основе использования инновационных высокотехнологичных решений, с одной стороны, и стимулирование участия бизнеса в развитии инновационного потенциала страны, с другой стороны. При этом важными условиями результативности этих направлений государственной инновационной политики в Финляндии являются: 1) такая особенность социального устройства Финляндии как консенсус всех стейкхолдеров развития экономики страны относительно того, что инновации – основа этого развития; 2) опора на накопленные на более ранних и более успешных этапах развития НИС знания и ноу-хау.

Monitoring of breast cancer progression via aptamer-based detection of circulating tumor cells in clinical blood samples

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) diagnostics lack noninvasive methods and procedures for screening and monitoring disease dynamics. Admitted CellSearch® is used for fluid biopsy and capture of circulating tumor cells of only epithelial origin. Here we describe an RNA aptamer (MDA231) for detecting BC cells in clinical samples, including blood. The MDA231 aptamer was originally selected against triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 using cell-SELEX.Methods: The aptamer structure in solution was predicted using mFold program and molecular dynamic simulations. The affinity and specificity of the evolved aptamers were evaluated by flow cytometry and laser scanning microscopy on clinical tissues from breast cancer patients. CTCs were isolated form the patients’ blood using the developed method of aptamer-based magnetic separation. Breast cancer origin of CTCs was confirmed by cytological, RT-qPCR and Immunocytochemical analyses.Results: MDA231 can specifically recognize breast cancer cells in surgically resected tissues from patients with different molecular subtypes: triple-negative, Luminal A, and Luminal B, but not in benign tumors, lung cancer, glial tumor and healthy epithelial from lungs and breast. This RNA aptamer can identify cancer cells in complex cellular environments, including tumor biopsies (e.g., tumor tissues vs. margins) and clinical blood samples (e.g., circulating tumor cells). Breast cancer origin of the aptamer-based magnetically separated CTCs has been proved by immunocytochemistry and mammaglobin mRNA expression.Discussion: We suggest a simple, minimally-invasive breast cancer diagnostic method based on non-epithelial MDA231 aptamer-specific magnetic isolation of circulating tumor cells. Isolated cells are intact and can be utilized for molecular diagnostics purposes

Finland: Innovation Policy Tools under National Innovation System Crisis

Purpose: the for a long time Finland’s national innovation system (NIS) had been being one of the most successful and effective in the world. But some years ago the situation changed: Finland’s NIS run into system crisis. And today Finnish government tries to work out anticrisis innovation policy. So the purpose of this article is to show up the innovation policy instruments which are able put an end to the crisis and to determine conditions of their successful use. Methods: the article is based on the national innovation systems concept and government policy-mix aimed at the NIS development. Results: the authors show up how Finnish government looks for optimal policy-mix to overcome the crisis, demonstrate in details complementary components of the relevant innovation policy, describe conditions for their success and effectiveness to consider whether they are useful in other countries. Conclusions and Relevance: to overcome the NIS crisis the Finnish government uses such instruments as strategic programs of socio-economic development with targets which can’t be achieved without adequate high technology and innovative development complemented by incentives to make business innovate actively. The conditions of such policy success are: 1) such feature of Finnish society as all stakeholders of economic development consensus on one issue: the main factor of development are innovations; 2) anticrisis stage of Finnish innovative policy is based previously accumulated knowledge and know-how

Macrophage Dysfunction in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases and Atherosclerosis

One of the problems of modern medical science is cardiovascular pathology caused by atherosclerotic vascular lesions in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs). The similarity between the mechanisms of the immunopathogenesis of ARD and chronic low-grade inflammation in atherosclerosis draws attention. According to modern concepts, chronic inflammation associated with uncontrolled activation of both innate and acquired immunity plays a fundamental role in all stages of ARDs and atherosclerotic processes. Macrophage monocytes play an important role among the numerous immune cells and mediators involved in the immunopathogenesis of both ARDs and atherosclerosis. An imbalance between M1-like and M2-like macrophages is considered one of the causes of ARDs. The study of a key pathogenetic factor in the development of autoimmune and atherosclerotic inflammation-activated monocyte/macrophages will deepen the knowledge of chronic inflammation pathogenesis

Inflammatory Response of Monocytes/Macrophages in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

Background: Investigation of the inflammatory response of immune cells is a current focus of research on autoimmune disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inflammatory status of monocytes/macrophages in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: The study included 35 SSc and 25 healthy participants. The secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in primary cultures of monocytes/macrophages after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on day 1 and on day 6 of incubation. Impaired tolerance of the immune response was characterized by increased secretion of the inflammatory mediators in response to restimulation. Results: Basal secretion of all cytokines was significantly higher in SSc patients compared to healthy individuals. The secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 after the initial LPS stimulation, and secretion of IL-1β, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8 after LPS restimulation, was significantly higher in the SSc group. Eleven SSc patients (31%) showed impaired immune tolerance in terms of MCP-1 secretion. These patients were significantly younger and had a higher level of anti-topoisomerase I (anti-Scl70) antibodies compared to SSc patients with immune tolerance. Conclusions: This study revealed pro-inflammatory activation and impaired immune tolerance in monocytes/macrophages from SSc patients. The violation of immune response in terms of MCP-1 secretion may be an important factor in the development of chronic inflammation in SSc. MCP-1 may thus be a potential therapeutic target for novel SSc treatment strategies

Magnetic nanoscalpel for the effective treatment of ascites tumors

One of the promising novel methods for radical tumor resection at a single-cell level is magneto-mechanical microsurgery (MMM) with magnetic nano- or microdisks modified with cancer-recognizing molecules. A low-frequency alternating magnetic field (AMF) remotely drives and controls the procedure. Here, we present characterization and application of magnetic nanodisks (MNDs) as a surgical instrument (“smart nanoscalpel”) at a single-cell level. MNDs with a quasidipole three-layer structure (Au/Ni/Au) and DNA aptamer AS42 (AS42-MNDs) on the surface converted magnetic moment into mechanical and destroyed tumor cells. The effectiveness of MMM was analyzed on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells in vitro and in vivo using sine and squareshaped AMF with frequencies from 1 to 50 Hz with 0.1 to 1 duty-cycle parameters. MMM with the “Nanoscalpel” in a sine-shaped 20 Hz AMF, a rectangular-shaped 10 Hz AMF, and a 0.5 duty cycle was the most effective. A sine-shaped field caused apoptosis, whereas a rectangular-shaped field caused necrosis. Four sessions of MMM with AS42-MNDs significantly reduced the number of cells in the tumor. In contrast, ascites tumors continued to grow in groups of mice and mice treated with MNDs with nonspecific oligonucleotide NO-MND. Thus, applying a “smart nanoscalpel” is practical for the microsurgery of malignant neoplasms