Фонд перспективных исследований в системе оборонных инноваций

The Advanced Research Foundation is governmental organization wich tasked with informing the country’s leadership on projects that can ensure Russian superiority in defense technology. The foundation will also analyze the risks of any Russian technological backwardness and technological dependence on other powers. The report considers an historical background about worldwide analogous, i.e. DARPA (USA), MAFAT (Israel), DRDO (India), DGA (France) and China (SASTIND), and an experience of advanced research projects organizations in the Soviet Union and modern Russia

Перспективная программа экспериментов в области космической медицины и биотехнологии

International audienceA novel research program on space biology and medicine -- "Living AeroSpace" -- based on recent results and advantages of Russian medical and biological programs of Bion-M1 biosatellite and International Space Station with its possible practical implementation on Rus-M Prospective piloted transport system (PPTS) for long-term (Mars mission) manned spaceflight is proposed.Since 1950s Russian Space Agency have been conducting experiments on space biology and medicine on the base of manned (Salyut, Mir, ISS) and unmanned (Bion biosatellites) spacecrafts. At present the set of experiments in the field of space biotechnology on the Russian Segment (RS) of ISS and Bion-M1 biosatellite includes the following: synthesis of effective methods for detection of biogenic agents: development of multi-functional units for cultivation of multi-cellular microorganisms during spaceflights; influence of spaceflight effects (ES) on viability of human skin cells recovered after cryopreservation; influence of ES on regeneration processes of different complex biological objects; influence of ES on functional status of gastrointestinal tract and its indigenous microbiota; influence of ES on mutation processes, genes regulation and expression of microorganisms and others. The proposed perspective research program in space biology and medicine includes the following main areas: space regenerative medicine (bioengineering of organs and tissues; embryogenesis in space; cryopreservation of biological objects); space genetics (genome control systems; DNA repair technologies; human microbiome engineering); space synthetic biology (polyextremophiles investigation; biosolar panel design; microbial cell factories).The possible ways of practical implementation of perspective experiments in space biology and medicine for the framework of the proposed research program (Living AeroSpace) starting from 2018 are presented.Note: Downloadable document is in Russian.Перспективная программа экспериментов в области космической биологии и медицины (Living AeroSpace) разработана на основе на достижений и результатов российских медико-биологических научных программ, реализуемых на биоспутниках серии "Бион" и Международной космической станции (МКС). Предложены пути возможной практической реализации программы Living AeroSpace для задач длительных межпланетных миссий (экспедиция на Марс) при использовании перспективной пилотируемой транспортной системы (ППТС) Русь-М.Начиная с 1950-х годов Российским космическим агентством регулярно проводятся эксперименты в области космической биологии и медицины на базе пилотируемых (Салют, Мир, МКС) и непилотируемых (биоспутник Бион-М) исследовательских платформ.В настоящее время реализуемая программа экспериментов на Российском сегменте МКС и биоспутнике Бион-М в области биотехнологий включает: синтез новых эффективных методов детекции агентов биогенного происхождения; разработку многофункциональных комплексов для культивации микроорганизмов и функциональных многоклеточных систем в условиях длительного автономного космического полета; изучение влияния факторов космического полета (ФКП) на выживаемость клеток кожи человека после криосохранения; анализ влияния ФКП на процессы регенерации различных биологических объектов; исследование влияния ФКП на функциональный статус пищеварительного тракта и микробиоты; моделирование процессов регуляции и экспрессии генов с учетом воздействия ФКП и другие. Предложенная перспективная исследовательская программа в области космической биологии и медицины – Living AeroSpace – включает следующие основные направления: космическая регенеративная медицина (биоинженерия органов и тканей; исследование процессов эмбриогенеза; криосохранение многоклеточных биологических объектов); космическая генетика (методы регуляции генов; технологии восстановления поврежденных ДНК; инженерия микробиома человека); космическая синтетическая биология (исследование возможностей полиэкстремофильных микроорганизмов; солнечные батареи на биологических принципах; микробные клеточные фабрики).Также представлены возможные пути практической реализации перспективной программы экспериментов в области космической биологии и медицины -- Living AeroSpace -- начиная с 2018 года

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as a Driver of Inflammaging

Life expectancy and age-related diseases burden increased significantly over the past few decades. Age-related conditions are commonly discussed in a very limited paradigm of depleted cellular proliferation and maturation with exponential accumulation of senescent cells. However, most recent evidence showed that the majority of age-associated ailments, i.e., diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegeneration. These diseases are closely associated with tissue nonspecific inflammation triggered and controlled by mesenchymal stromal cell secretion. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are known as the most common type of cells for therapeutic approaches in clinical practice. Side effects and complications of MSC-based treatments increased interest in the MSCs secretome as an alternative concept for validation tests in regenerative medicine. The most recent data also proposed it as an ideal tool for cell-free regenerative therapy and tissue engineering. However, senescent MSCs secretome was shown to hold the role of ‘key-driver’ in inflammaging. We aimed to review the immunomodulatory effects of the MSCs-secretome during cell senescence and provide eventual insight into the interpretation of its beneficial biological actions in inflammaging-associated diseases

Gene-Activated Materials in Regenerative Dentistry: Narrative Review of Technology and Study Results

Treatment of a wide variety of defects in the oral and maxillofacial regions requires the use of innovative approaches to achieve best outcomes. One of the promising directions is the use of gene-activated materials (GAMs) that represent a combination of tissue engineering and gene therapy. This approach implies that biocompatible materials will be enriched with gene-carrying vectors and implanted into the defect site resulting in transfection of the recipient’s cells and secretion of encoded therapeutic protein in situ. GAMs may be presented in various designs depending on the type of material, encoded protein, vector, and way of connecting the vector and the material. Thus, it is possible to choose the most suitable GAM design for the treatment of a particular pathology. The use of plasmids for delivery of therapeutic genes is of particular interest. In the present review, we aimed to delineate the principle of work and various designs of plasmid-based GAMs and to highlight results of experimental and clinical studies devoted to the treatment of periodontitis, jaw bone defects, teeth avulsion, and other pathologies in the oral and maxillofacial regions

Refinement of Animal Experiments: Replacing Traumatic Methods of Laboratory Animal Marking with Non-Invasive Alternatives

Reliable methods for identifying rodents play an important role in ensuring the success of preclinical studies. However, animal identification remains a trivial laboratory routine that is not often discussed, despite the fact that more than 6 million rodents are used in animal studies each year. Currently, there are extensive regulations in place to ensure adequate anesthesia and to reduce animal suffering during experiments. At the same time, not enough attention is paid to the comfort of rodents during routine identification procedures, which can be painful and cause some complications. In order to achieve the highest ethical standards in laboratory research, we must minimize animal discomfort during the identification phase. In this article, we discuss traumatic methods of identification and describe several painless methods for marking in long-term experimental studies. The use of non-traumatic and non-invasive methods requires the renewal of marks as they fade and additional handling of the rodents. Laboratory personnel must be trained in stress-minimizing handling techniques to make mark renewal less stressful

Post-Implantation Inflammatory Responses to Xenogeneic Tissue-Engineered Cartilage Implanted in Rabbit Trachea: The Role of Cultured Chondrocytes in the Modification of Inflammation

Immune responses to tissue-engineered grafts made of xenogeneic materials remain poorly studied. The scope of current investigations is limited by the lack of information on orthotopically implanted grafts. A deeper understanding of these processes is of great importance since innovative surgical approaches include the implantation of xenogeneic decellularized scaffolds seeded by cells. The purpose of our work is to study the immunological features of tracheal repair during the implantation of tissue-engineered constructs based on human xenogeneic scaffolds modified via laser radiation in rabbits. The samples were stained with hematoxylin and Safranin O, and they were immunostained with antibodies against tryptase, collagen II, vimentin, and CD34. Immunological and inflammatory responses were studied by counting immune cells and evaluating blood vessels and collagen. Leukocyte-based inflammation prevailed during the implantation of decellularized unseeded scaffolds; meanwhile, plasma cells were significantly more abundant in tissue-engineered constructs. Mast cells were insignificantly more abundant in tissue-engineered construct samples. Conclusions: The seeding of decellularized xenogeneic cartilage with chondrocytes resulted in a change in immunological reactions upon implantation, and it was associated with plasma cell infiltration. Tissue-engineered grafts widely differed in design, including the type of used cells. The question of immunological response depending on the tissue-engineered graft composition requires further investigation

DARPA-2016: на заре биологического Интернета

International audienceThe review of the DARPA biomedical research programs of FY 2016 is presented in this paper. Conjectures are made about key directions of DARPA research projects in the fields of synthetic biology, OMICs technologies, metabolic engineering, gene therapy and neurosciences aimed at developing technologies for "biological Internet". Сonclusions reached of the possibility of applied use of DARPA scientific achievments in the Russian economy.Notes: Downloadable document is available in Russian.Представлен обзор биомедицинского направления исследовательской программы DARPA на 2016 финансовый год. Сделаны предположения о направлении основного вектора исследовательских проектов DARPA в области синтетической биологии, омиксных технологий, метаболической инженерии, генной терапии и нейронаук, направленных на разработку технологий "биологического интернета". Сделаны выводы о возможности прикладного использования научных разработок DARPA в экономике России

The BioDARPA Concept

The dramatic development of biomedical technologies inevitably raises a question of the increasing " gap " between basic biomedical discoveries and their use in clinical practice. Created in 1958 with the same purpose, DARPA has had to bridging the gap in defense technologies (mostly in rocket and radar sciences). Today we can talk about the relevance of the idea of " biomedical DARPA " (BioDARPA) as a concept of organizational design for priority research and development of emerging biotechnologies

Engineering Biology Problems Book

The Engineering Biology Problems Book contains the physical, biomedical and engineering tasks, which solution with biological tools will bring benefit to all mankind. Problems Book consists of seven chapters according to applications of biological technologies to various parties of actual and perspective human activity: wellness and life extension, transformation of nature and human enhancement. Descriptions of tasks are devoted to biological object modification methods and versions of the application of engineered biosystems for the solution of biomedical, industrial, agricultural, ethical and other problems. The solutions of the offered tasks can be based on original use of advanced molecular and cellular technologies, including genome editing instruments (CRISPR/Cas9, TALEN, ZFN), artificial intelligence systems, chemoinformatics, advanced biomaterials and synthetic receptors, quantative phylosophy, etc. The Book is intended to be a theory guide for students with engineering mentality who are wishing to find oneself in designing of super-systems of the new industry of biotechnological superiority.Notes: Downloadable document is available in Russian