In Health and Human Sciences, Siberia is seen as an area where innovations are aimed at improving the quality of life: not only for Siberians, but for all those for whom the Siberian experience will be vital.
Here are a few cases that illustrate the potential of this field:
Pathological programming of the immune system by neuropsychiatric factors among residents of Siberia: the prospects of treatment and prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Chronic stress leads to immune system disorders (primarily - innate immunity), which can trigger the development of cardiovascular diseases and cancer, but this program mechanism has not been studied. The purpose of the project is to establish the role of innate immunity in pathological reactions to stress, and neurological disorders, to create mathematical models for predicting the immunopathology and identify diagnostic biomarkers. Implemented with the support of University of Heidelberg, the German Cancer Centre, Groningen University Medical Centre, Siberian State Medical University, Tbilisi State University, and the Cancer Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences.
New approaches to the development of drugs for the treatment of socially significant diseases of the Siberian region. The project is aimed at solving the issue of rational design of physiologically active substances. The purpose of the work is to develop approaches to the creation of original target-oriented compounds able to act as correctors of functions of central nervous system. Compared with known drugs, they will be more effective, less toxic and have improved pharmacokinetics. The project is being implemented with the support of Tbilisi State University, Moscow State University, Russian Cancer Research Centre, Russian Ministry of Health, and University of Auckland.
Within the health and human sciences field Siberia is seen as an area where innovations are aimed at improving the quality of life: not only for Siberians, and for all of those for whom the Siberian experience will be vital.
The project aims to study the interaction of different types of stress, social and psychological factors, the characteristic features of lifestyle and nutrition, genetics and individual immunological reactions of the body, and programming pathological functions of the human immune system. The basic hypothesis of the project is that cells with a stress-induced programme cannot cope with their main functions of maintaining the homeostatic balance and renewing tissues, and trigger sluggish, hidden, inflammatory reactions. Such sluggish inflammation leads to the development of cardiovascular, oncologic and neurodegenerative diseases, which are the leading cause of death and disability in Siberia, as well as in other regions of the Russian Federation and worldwide.
The TSSW centre provides a unique opportunity to examine the specificity of the pathological programming in the Siberian population, which, in the very limited present historical period, combines a traditional way of life with the rapidly spreading western trends.
As Y.G. Kzhyshkovska put it, the overall aim of the project is to improve the health of the nation and to develop methods of prevention and early diagnosis and personalized therapy for the most socially significant diseases. For this purpose, the key genetic, patho-physiological, immunological and infectious, psychological, stress, socio-economic determinants of human health, which lead to the development of the most dangerous and socially significant diseases (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases) will be identified.
Leading Scientists
Harald zur Hausen, TSSW expert
Alexei N. Gratchev, Leading Researcher
Natalia A. Nekratova, Researcher at the Scientific Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics.
Nikolai A. Bokhan, Professor at the Faculty of Psychology
Institutions and Centres
Laboratory of Translational Cell and Molecular Biomedicine
http://lab.tsu.ru/ltk/?lang=en
Department of Psychology
Networks and International Partners
Ruprecht-Karls University of Heidelberg, Germany
Westphalian Wilhelms University Muenster, Germany
German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany
German Heart Centre
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
University of Strasbourg, France
Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Latvia
Marcotech oHG; Germany
European Association for Predictive, Preventive & Personalised Medicine (EPMA)
European Society for Macrophages and Dendritic Cells (EMDS)
Koch-Metschnikow-Forum (Germany/RF)
Russian and Regional Partners
Moscow State University
Institute of Cardiology of the SB RAS;
Russian Cancer Research Centre named after N.N. Blokhin (Moscow);
Institute of Oncology named after N.N. Petrov (St. Petersburg); FSBI
Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex MoH at the Siberian State Medical University,
Tomsk Polytechnic University
Tomsk Research Institute of Oncology
Tomsk Research Institute of Cardiology.
