Russia defence & technology updates

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Russian, Chinese, and Saudi physicists sharpen vision of photodetectors
Science & Space
October 27, 16:02UTC+3
The achievement has solved the problem of photodetectors being sensitive to light within a certain narrow bandwidth
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© AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast


MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Applied in numerous systems and devices ranging from smartphones to interplanetary stations, photodetectors are typically sensitive to light within a certain narrow bandwidth which causes many problems for developers. However, scientists from Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia have solved this problem, said the press service of Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).

Photodetectors are sensors which produce electrical currents when exposed to the sun, so, this effect enables the detection of light. "Photodetectors that can "feel" the irradiation in a wide range of frequencies are highly desirable, but are very hard to make. "We have found a very fast, cheap, and effective way to broaden the range of photodetector sensitivity," said Vadim Agafonov, the head of the Molecular Electronics Center at MIPT and a co-author of the paper.



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He and his colleagues from China’sChangchun Institute of Applied Chemistry and Saudi Arabia’s King Saud University conducted an experiment where they exposed a photodetector containing zinc oxide nanoparticles to ultraviolet light. It turned out that by interacting with the surfaces of the device, the UV radiation could alter its sensitivity.

According to the scientists, the UV light detaches oxygen atoms form the zinc oxide molecules. This leads to the redistribution of electron and holes, which are vacant positions for electrons. As a result, the freed-up electrons can then act as charge carriers, generating photocurrent even at a minimal measurable optical power intensity of 60 picowatts per cm· under the bias voltage of 0.5 V.

Finally, researchers have achieved a high-performance photodetector with a much broader working spectral range and maximum external quantum efficiency (ratio between the number of "dislodged" electrons and the number of incident photons) of 140,000% rather than 30% measured before UV treatment. To put it more clearly, whereas before irradiation 10 photons have generated just three electrons, after UV treatment the same number of photons have produced 14,000 photoelectrons.

The article summarizing the results has been published in Advanced Functional Materials. The authors claim that it is sufficient to treat a photodetector with UV light once during its manufacturing in order to achieve the broad spectral response. They believe that photodetectors treated in such a way can be used in numerous applications from imaging to atmospheric sensing.



More:
http://tass.com/science/909057

 

[Bahamut]

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Russian scientists create "smart foil" for mounting industrial transducers
Science & Space
October 27, 13:54UTC+3
Piezoelectric crystals are needed for transducers at radiolocation stations, particularly in the aircraft and oil industry
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© Media center SPbPU


MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/ Researchers from Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) have come up with a new technological breakthrough for mounting piezoelectric crystals (material able to accumulate electricity in response to applied mechanical stress) onto conducting substrates, the media center of SPbPU announced. The technology has been dubbed "Smart Foil".

Piezoelectric crystals are needed for transducers at radiolocation stations, particularly in the aircraft and oil industry. However, when working with these crystals, one has always faced a problem of attaching piezoelectrics to the conducting surfaces. Usual conducting adhesives do not demonstrate required conductivity, and their adhesion is not durable enough. Basically, the application of classical soldering is impossible, as crystals are extremely fragile and thermally-sensitive.



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Scientists have offered up a new method for mounting such transducers: the cold soldering by reaction self-heating nano brazing. In this technique, the transducer is covered by several thousand nano-sized layers which form a "smart foil". The layer comprised of foil can interact with each other over the course of the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis. During this reaction, the foil is heated up to 1,700 degrees Celsius and melts attaching the transducer to the surface.

The temperature is high enough to fasten the transducer, but it fails to penetrate deep into the attached material and damages the transducer. The new method allows for mounting transmitting blocks with soldering durability, with conventional soldering this is not possible for such elements.

According to SPbPU’s media center, the development was set as a trade secret, but it already has found applications in several industrial enterprises as OAO "Microwave systems", OAO "Fomos-Materials" and others.

In future, the technology of creating such self-soldering crystals will be developed further for attaching complex microelectromechanical systems on the grounds, as well as in the maintaining super-high frequency modules.



More:
http://tass.com/science/909024

 

[Bahamut]

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St. Petersburg innovators sharpen laser correlation spectroscopy for medical research use
Science & Space
October 26, 12:38UTC+3
The new method of analysis can be applied in researching the impact of various factors (pharmaceuticals, allergens) on the proteins of blood plasma and choosing optimal treatment
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© Artem Geodakyan/TASS


MOSCOW, October 26. /TASS/ Scientists from the Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) have developed a new technique for analyzing signals of laser correlation spectroscopy (LCS) used for determining the sizes of nano-and micro-particles in solutions, said the SPbPU’s media center. The innovation can be applied in the analysis of liquid samples in medical research, in ecology monitoring, and in control of technical liquids. So, the scope of the newly introduced method by far exceeds those of existing tools.

"In our method, the precision in measuring of particles with various sizes surpassed the capabilities of current mass-produced devices by 20-60% depending on the number of components in the researched solution," said Elena Velichko, Chief Operating Director of The Higher School of Applied Physics and Space Technologies at SPbPU.



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Making use of optical observations, LCS allows for defining diffusion factors of particles in solutions and hence for measuring their size. Before, the possible applications of LCS were limited, as the small particles, analyzed in a solution, had to be of uniform size. With this ground-breaking approach, Russian researchers have succeeded to overcome this obstacle.

In this study, various methods of treating LCS signals were compared. As a result, the algorithm based on the development of Soviet mathematician and physicist Andrey Tikhonov(the Tikhonov regularization) was selected. The usage of this algorithm facilitated the implementation of a faster method for solving a system of nonlinear equations, which in turn led to accelerating the cycle of retrieving particles sizes from experimental data by several times. Additionally, the precision of defining particles sizes in multi-component solutions was substantially increased by introducing an additional computational parameter to test the researched solution for the number of components.

The new method of analysis can be applied for conducting complex medical studies, for instance in researching the impact of various factors (pharmaceuticals, allergens etc) on the proteins of blood plasma and choosing optimal pharmaceutical and medical treatment. Moreover, the development could be useful in the ecological monitoring of water resources and in control of the composition of technical liquids.

The authors of this innovation have already received a registration certificate, which is a special type of a patent, but issued for programs. Now, the researchers are preparing to implement the technology. The results of the study have been presented at several international conferences and symposia with the last one being The Fourth International Symposium Optics and Biophotonics - ‘Saratov Fall Meeting’.



More:
http://tass.com/science/908765

 

[Bahamut]

Deputy PM: Syrian campaign shows future belongs to intelligent weapons
Military & Defense
October 28, 15:15 UTC+3
According to Dmitry Rogozin, the Soviet era developments that served as a basis for the Russian military’s rearmament program have reached the efficiency limits and are no longer relevant
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© Konstantin Leyfer/TASS
TOMSK, October 28. /TASS/. The Syrian conflict has shown that the Soviet era developments that served as a basis for the Russian military’s rearmament program, have reached the efficiency limits and are no longer relevant, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Friday. According to him, the future of the weaponry belongs to robots and unmanned aircraft.



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"Much has been done, we have made major technological progress. But everything that has been made was designed in the Soviet era. I can feel it in my bones that we won’t be able to advance using only innovations of the past. Even the Syrian campaign has shown that the future belongs to robotics and unmanned aircraft," Rogozin stated at a meeting with students and young scientists in the Siberian city of Tomsk.

According to him, Russia’s population is not sufficient to defend the country’s vast territory so there is a need to start utilizing new weapons systems. "We are moving towards intelligent weapons because we need them," Rogozin added.

Earlier Rogozin published a video of a humanoid robot test that is being crafted by the Advanced Research Foundation together with the ‘Android Machines’ Scientific and Production Association on Russia’s Emergencies Ministry’s order. The robot previously known under the name of ‘Avatar’ has a new name now - FEDOR (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research).

The work on this robot began in 2014 in accordance with the Rescuer project. In December 2015, the Russian president signed a decree on establishing the National Center for Development of Technology and Basic Elements of Robotics, the center took over the project’s coordination. A voice-activated control system is planned to be installed into the FEDOR robot.



More:
http://tass.com/defense/909395

 

[sorcerer]

Russia Successfully Tests Nuclear-Capable Hyper Sonic Glider Warhead
The hyper sonic warhead is designed to be installed to replace conventional warheads on promising intercontinental ballistic missiles.
MOSCOW: Russia has successfully tested its advanced hyper sonic glider warhead, also known as Object 4202, a media report said on Friday.

"It's the first, totally-completed test of the warhead capable of reaching the speed of 7 km/second on the maximum altitude," Xinhua news agency quoted Russian media as saying.
The warhead was fired on Tuesday from the Dombarovsky area in Russia's western Orenburg region to the Far Eastern Kamchatka's firing field of Kura.


According to the Russian media, the hyper sonic warhead is designed to be installed to replace conventional warheads on promising intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Before entering the dense layers of the atmosphere, the warhead completes a composite manoeuvre so that missile defense facilities will not be able to intercept it, the media said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...sonic-glider-warhead/articleshow/55116660.cms

 

[Bahamut]

Siberian substance that boosts crops and cares for environment

28 Oct '16
Daria Novikova, a biologist working at the Novosibirsk State University (TSU) and the local Institute of Cytology and Genetics, is developing a set of biological agents to invigorate cultivated plants’ own powers for growth. At the heart of the project are phytohormones, the TSU website announced.

The new solution is believed to do no harm to the environment, a highly competitive edge over most of today’s conventional substances, primarily nitrates.

“Plants have a hormonal system, and applying our agents to some parts of it speeds up the growth of the respective plant sections. Such agents are used in nanodoses and are therefore very caring for plants as the latter have their own phytohormone decomposition systems and will be able to deal with the agents in their entirety, leaving no trace of them in the environment,” the project leader explained.

Unlike the existing competition in the market, the new agents will have several active substances, not a single one. Ms. Novikova’s team is studying a variety of phytohormone combinations and computing their optimal concentrations which will be enough to alter plants morphology in given directions (like smaller roots, larger leaves, etc.).

Phase 1 tests are said to be successfully over; a plant called Arabidopsis thaliana was used for that. Over the next year the researchers will be testing their bioproduct on wheat and tomatoes.

 

[sorcerer]

Russia To Develop Miniature Reconnaissance Drone

Russia is developing a low cost pocket-size reconnaissance drone and other miniature UAVs that can be easily replaced, if shot down on the battle field.
“Right now we are working on several types of UAVs,” Russia’s United Instrument Corporation said in a statement Saturday. Each drone or a group of drones will be chosen to perform specific missions depending on the objective, weather conditions and the landscape.

The Russian mini-UAVs will challenge the 16-gram Norwegian-built Black Hornet drone, which is currently used by the US Marine Corps’ Special Ops units.

All the drones in the line are dragonfly-sized copters, which are easy to control, maneuver and maintain, according to the manufacturer.
The operational rage of the aircraft will be enough to carry out battlefield reconnaissance as well as take part in law enforcement and anti-terrorist operations.
The distinguishing feature of these miniature drones is that they can be replaced immediately, if they are shot down.
http://www.defenseworld.net/news/17509/Russia_To_Develop_Miniature_Reconnaissance_Drone

 

[gadeshi]

Wooden shipbuilding in Karelia:
Shipbuilding restoration in Crimea after ukrainian oblivion:

 

[sorcerer]

Russia’s Latest Super Helicopter Gunship, The Upgraded Mi-28NM, Can Shoot Missiles With Lasers!

Russia’s ability to come up with state-of-the-art, futuristic, and deadly military hardware is well known. And the latest addition (or improvement) to their arsenal is the upgraded Mi-28NM ‘Night Hunter’ helicopter gunship!4

According to the newspaper, the upgraded version of Mi-28NM will be loaded with bombs and will be capable of ‘interacting’ with drones or unmanned aerial vehicles. The report quoted Yevgeny Poluyanov of the Mil Experimental Design Bureau as saying that the new Mi-28NM will able good enough to interact in a ‘single information space’ with ground combat units and other kinds of high-tech weaponry. Poluyanov added that the upgraded Mi-28NM will be equipped with different kinds of missiles – guided and unguided. “The helicopter is also equipped with the latest anti-jamming system and a laser array designed to deflect all existing heat-seeking missiles,” he said.

According to Poluyanov, the Mi-28NM “substantially outperforms” America’s AH-64-D Apache helicopter. This feat is achieved with the help of Ataka and Khrizantema air-to-air guided missiles, Poluyanov has said in the past. The Mi-28NM is a better version of the Mi-28N, and is currently being upgraded to make it a fifth-generation gunship. The upgradation project is expected to be complete some time next year. The new version of the Mi-28NM will also feature an advanced weapons guidance system and a 360 degree radar. The new weapons guidance system is expected to help in faster “target acquisition”.

Recently, Russia unveiled the RS-28 Sarmat, a new missile that is dubbed by the NATO as ‘Satan 2’. The Satan 2 is a thermonuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile. The de-classified image was released by Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau on its website. The new missile will send chills down the spine of the West, because it is reportedly capable of destroying areas as big as Texas and France! According to the Daily Mail, the Satan 2 will have a range of 10,000 km and the missile would also be able to evade radars! The huge range of the missile implies that Russia would have the power to attack London, other European cities and cities on America’s west and east coasts! The missile is likely to have around 10 heavy or 16 lighter nuclear warheads, or a combination of warheads that will act as a big threat against Russia’s enemies.

Russia is continuously revamping and upgrading its defense arsenal and the latest additions will surely enhance its position as a formidable power.
http://www.financialexpress.com/wor...rones-lasers-missiles-putin-us-apache/435467/

 

[gadeshi]

Zvezdochka ship repair plant has delivered overhauled Marshal Ustinov Project 1164 Orlan heavy missile cruiser to RU Navy:
http://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/85504/

 

[Bahamut]

After U.S. snub, Duterte expresses interest in buying Russian rifles
November 2, 2016 ALEXANDER KORABLINOV, RBTH
The U.S. Senate has reportedly halted the sale of assault rifles to the Philippines. Washington’s critical remarks of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte over alleged human rights violations have pushed the island nation closer to China and Russia.
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Moscow, Tokyo working on a peace treaty draft - senior Russian lawmaker

• Arming the giants: Russia’s balancing act with India and China

• Russian chocolate, beer and baby food companies aim to conquer Asia

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech at Philippines Economic Forum in Tokyo. Source: Reuters

Hours after a news agency reported that the U.S. halted a planned sale of assault rifles to the Philippines’ national police, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hinted that the country could turn to Russia to meet its demand for arms and ammunition.

“Remember what the Russian diplomat said? Come to Russia. We have everything you need,” Duterte was quoted by the Manila Bulletin as saying on Nov. 1.

Reuters, citing U.S. Senate aides, reported earlier that the U.S. State Department halted the sale of some 26,000 assault rifles after Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it.

The U.S. has been critical of Duterte’s war on drugs, which has claimed the lives of more than 2,300 people.

In October, Duterte, who visited Beijing, said U.S. President Barack Obama could “go to hell.” The Philippine President also said last month that his country could turn to Russia or China for arms supplies if the U.S. refused.

In an interview with RBTH in Sept. 2016, Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos D. Sorreta said the countries were making progress on a weapons procurement agreement, and added that Russian companies were welcome to submit bids on Philippine tenders.

The largest buyers of Russian assault rifles such as the Kalashnikov Concern’s AK-47 are India, China, South American and African countries.

 

[Bahamut]

Russian army to get new motorized squads of high-speed saboteurs
November 2, 2016 NIKOLAI LITOVKIN, SERGEI SEVRYUGIN, RBTH
New motorized rifle squads will be able to carry out high-speed raids for hundreds of kilometers, and to perform lightning-like strikes behind enemy lines.
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Romanovs and charity: Helping the Russian army in the First World war

• Russian pensioners campaign to save forest from felling in Karelia

• Russian company designs new radar for MiG-35 fighters

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RBTH DAILY, CARS,ARMY, MILITARY

The military want new squads that will be capable of slipping through enemy defenses on light armored vehicles and strike from the rear and flanks. Source: Nikolay Hiznyak/RIA Novosti

The Russian Defense Ministry is to form special mobile squads based on motorized troops, the Izvestiya newspaper has reported.

The military want new squads that will be capable of slipping through enemy defenses on light armored vehicles and strike from the rear and flanks. These will be formed of numerically small groups of saboteurs, which will appear in the Southern and Central military districts in the coming years.

The new military units are also expected to feature special anti-tank and artillery battalions.

"The creation of new mobile units is associated with the emergence of new types of war," Ivan Konovalov, head of the sector of military policy and economy of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, told RBTH. "These units will be used not only to carry out sabotage, but also to fight guerrillas or rebels and suppress insurgencies."

According to him, light motorized infantry brigades are the preferred type of units for such operations.

Troops on pickups
The flying squads will use the UAZ Patriot-based pickup SUV as the main means of transportation.

UAZ Patriot / Source: Vitaly V. Kuzmin (BY-SA)

The vehicle is already widely used by border guards and Interior Troops units.

In addition to the classic function to transport personnel, the motorized infantry will use these vehicles as a platform for anti-tank and mortar weapons.

"Such 'upgraded pickups' are widely used in local conflicts," said Konovalov. "They have already proved their worth during the civil wars in Syria and Libya, where ordinary civilian vehicles are converted into 'combat' ones with machine guns and mortars."

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry attempted to provide infantry with light armored vehicles. However, the UAZ Hunter, introduced in 2009, turned out to be too small to transport goods and troops.

"With the arrival of new pickups, equipped with a spacious interior and a roomy body, in the army, this problem should be solved completely," said Konovalov.

Banking on maneuverability
In addition to the armed forces, local designers are planning to bring mobility to Rosgvardiya (Russia's National Guard) special purpose units.

As Daniel Martynov, assistant head of the Chechen Republic for cooperation with law enforcement agencies, told RBTH, a new buggy for Rosgvardiya special forces units is now being tested at the International Training Center for Special Forces in the town of Gudermes (1,150 miles south of Moscow).

Video by YouTube

The vehicle will be mainly used for reconnaissance, evacuation of wounded and transportation of cargo in remote areas.

In addition, the vehicle will be a serious help in anti-insurgent activities, in which the buggy will be used to move across rugged terrain and carry out rapid strikes on militant positions.

"Modern technologies and experience allow the speed, mobility, permeability and flexibility of these vehicles to be increased," Eduard Mamyrin, CEO of the company F-Motorsport, the developer of the vehicle, said. "A strong space frame makes it easy to mount a Kord heavy machine gun or an automatic mounted grenade launcher without compromising the vehicle's resources and with high shooting accuracy."

The vehicle is currently undergoing field trials in the mountainous areas of the North Caucasus. Mass production is scheduled to begin next year.

Buggies are popular with special forces around the world. For example, they are used by U.S. Army Ranger units and British SAS forces.

 

[Bahamut]

Siberian substance that boosts crops and cares for environment

28 Oct '16
Daria Novikova, a biologist working at the Novosibirsk State University (TSU) and the local Institute of Cytology and Genetics, is developing a set of biological agents to invigorate cultivated plants’ own powers for growth. At the heart of the project are phytohormones, the TSU website announced.

The new solution is believed to do no harm to the environment, a highly competitive edge over most of today’s conventional substances, primarily nitrates.

“Plants have a hormonal system, and applying our agents to some parts of it speeds up the growth of the respective plant sections. Such agents are used in nanodoses and are therefore very caring for plants as the latter have their own phytohormone decomposition systems and will be able to deal with the agents in their entirety, leaving no trace of them in the environment,” the project leader explained.

Unlike the existing competition in the market, the new agents will have several active substances, not a single one. Ms. Novikova’s team is studying a variety of phytohormone combinations and computing their optimal concentrations which will be enough to alter plants morphology in given directions (like smaller roots, larger leaves, etc.).

Phase 1 tests are said to be successfully over; a plant called Arabidopsis thaliana was used for that. Over the next year the researchers will be testing their bioproduct on wheat and tomatoes.

 

[Bahamut]

Russia to step up support of IT, biomed and industrial tech developments

31 Oct '16
Russian Venture Company (RVC), Russia’s national fund of funds for innovation, has recently set up three joint funds with the Skolkovo Foundation that manages this country’s most widely touted innovation hub under construction just outside Moscow, and is now investing more than $70m in these, Firrma.ru reported.

All government decisions regarding the three funds will be made by the year-end, RF Deputy Minister of Economic Development Oleg Fomichov said. What’s known now is that it’s Skolkovo Venture Investments, a company the Skolkovo Foundation decided to set up as subsidiary back in September, that is expected to manage the new joint funds.

Fund 1 will be investing in IT projects; fund 2 will focus on biomed; and fund 3 on industrial tech. RVC is expected to ante up about $24m for each of these, while Skolkovo has undertaken to bring private co-investors on board, which will be expected to invest about $8m in each of the funds over the first year of their operation. Another $24+m are expected to come from private coffers in years 2 and 3 of the funds’ existence. Each of the three will be able to shell out an average of $1.6m per project.

The funds will be supporting Skolkovo-bred start-ups, so giving the Skolkovo Foundation a mandate to run the funds’ day-to-day operations is expected to ensure quality investments, the partners believe.

 

[Bahamut]

“Unique” analgesic with no side effects developed in Siberia

1 Nov '16
Siberians are said to have developed a drug to kill basically all types of pain. The new pain reliever is believed to have no side effects typical for an array of steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that exist in the market.

Two research teams were behind the project, including the Tomsk State University (TSU) and the Biysk-based Institute for Problems of Chemical and Energy Technologies headquartered in the neighboring Siberian region of Altay.

It’s a substance called glyoxal that the scientists used to come up with the new drug candidate. TSU chemists earlier developed glyoxal synthesis technology for large-scale industrial purposes. The substance is the basis for a family of high energy compounds; but at an interim phase of synthesizing such compounds part of the substance is reportedly extracted from the process and reprocessed to produce a potential medicine with what the developers refer to as “unique pharmacological characteristics.”

Thus far glyoxal has been used predominantly for defense purposes.

The drug candidate has been successfully tested at a preclinical trial stage at the Tomsk-based Goldberg Research Institute of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, TSU emphasized. The research results show that the analgesic effectively deals with pain syndromes of various nature, and its painkilling effect lasts much longer than with other modern pain relievers. Most notably, the solution is said to show no dangerous toxic impact on the human body; it’s also non-addictive.

The new drug has been called “Tiovyurtsin.” When it may hit the market has yet to be further announced.

 

[Bahamut]

Private Russian VC fund backs new thrombosis therapy

2 Nov '16
Primer Capital, a private Russian venture fund, announced its $175,000 investment in FK Laboratories, the domestic developer of a novel drug candidate to prevent and treat thromboses.

Thrombosis is the formation of solid blood clots (thrombi) in the blood vessels which threatens to disrupt normal blood circulation. What poses the greatest threat to the human body in thrombus formation is a condition in which a thrombus suddenly breaks free from the wall of a vessel to become free-floating; it may get right into the heart or the lungs or the brain.

The drug candidate FK Laboratories has come up with represents the next generation of highly specific direct thrombin inhibitor, the solution most widely used to deal with the pathology. “The medicine under development is offering a range of key advantages, including oral administering, no toxicity, and high specificity,” Primer Capital executive director Elizaveta Rozhdestvenskaya said.

The developer will funnel the Primer Capital investment, as well as a $524,000 Minister of Education and Science grant received earlier, into a series of preclinical trials.

Currently thrombus-related pathology is said to be responsible for about 40% of adults’ premature deaths.

 

[gadeshi]

Sokol - The first VKS helicopters base in Serpukhov celebrates the 70-th anniversary:

 

[Bahamut]

Russian University Developes Alternative Cancer Treatment © Sputnik/ Sergey Venyavsky

NEWS 13:11 01.11.2016(updated 13:42 01.11.2016) Get short URL 147180 Scientists at the National Research Nuclear University are developing a new, alternative cancer treatment that promises to be more effective than chemotherapy while minimizing treatment side effects. National Research Nuclear University (NRNU) MEPhI has established a new structural division: the Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine. Dr. Andrei Kabashin, its scientific supervisor and Research Director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (Aix-Marseille University), has explained the kinds of professionals the new institution will train. He spoke about the global outlook for Nanotheranostics in an interview with RIA Novosti’s Yulia Osipova. — Mr. Kabashin, where did the idea come from to spin off an Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine in a separate research and education unit? — The Institute for Biomedicine is one of the five new structural units that MEPhI has created as part of a new multidisciplinary trend. In the Soviet Union, education was separate from science: institutes provided training, and scientific research was the domain of the RAS. In modern Russia, all the former institutes immediately reorganized into universities, but their essence has not changed: the system of specialized departments and chairs is not fine-tuned for research, only for training students in various fields. The new subdivisions of NRNU MEPhI are actually research institutes that are part of the university. Students still have the opportunity to study there, but they can also participate in funded research projects that can lead to publications in best peer-reviewed journals. In addition, this system allows the university faculty staff to grow professionally while also teaching students. — Why has biomedicine become the main scientific focus? — In the last 10 or 15 years, the focus of scientific interest around the world has shifted markedly from physics, which largely developed for defense needs, toward health sciences. People are willing to invest a lot of money in their health or safety. This trend promotes the development of fundamentally new interdisciplinary areas, projects at the junction of the classical sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering… Where they intersect, their symbiosis generates new technologies, techniques and tools for biomedical applications. Biomedical specialists are in high demand globally. Take, for instance, positron emission tomography: medical education is not enough to use this kind of equipment; it also requires engineering proficiency, but bordering on biomedicine. This niche needs to be filled. The Obninsk branch of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute has always had a strong medical department. They are now implementing the idea of combining the existing educational base in Obninsk with a powerful MEPhI resource in nuclear medicine. — What is modern nuclear medicine? — It is an enormous domain of high-tech medicine, which uses radionuclide radiation and other sources, and beams of accelerated ionizing particles (such as protons) for the treatment and diagnosis of diseases, particularly cancer. Cancer is our main enemy, as it accounts for more than 13 percent of all deaths. Positron emission tomography is unique because it allows you to register molecular biological changes before organic anatomical changes occur, which is extremely important for the early detection of tumors. At the same time, beta and gamma radiation of certain radionuclides is extremely effective for the selective destruction of cancer cells and the treatment of cancer. — Everyone is talking about proton therapy these days. Is this really a promising area? — Yes, there is a real global boom in this type of therapy, these systems are being installed everywhere. Russia is lagging behind a little here, but in Russia we have unique projects that significantly reduce the cost of proton accelerators and the treatment systems that use them. Proton therapy systems are good because they provide a 3D image of the location of the tumor, after which proton sources can act on the tumor with pinpoint accuracy. This is particularly effective in fighting aggressive cancers such as tumors of the brain and eye. In Russia, nuclear medicine has for a long time been present in specific projects, but few people knew about them, because Russian scientists rarely published their studies in leading journals. Russian science developed in isolation. — Was this one of the reasons why you left the country in the 1990s? — I was not willing to lose qualifications in my field of research only for the sake of patriotism, despite my love for the motherland. In North America and then in Europe, I was able to integrate with the Western scientific system, and even to help determine its success. Now the main goal for people like me who return to Russia in a particular role is to educate talented young people to work at the current level of global science and as part of the framework of the existing international system. In other words, we need to learn how to play and win within the international scientific field by its rules. Isolation is pointless in modern science. The Chinese were the first to realize that, and so have many others who have by now successfully adapted to the global system. We have a lot of highly skilled professionals and good research projects. In particular, we have made great achievements in nanotechnologies and nanophotonics for biomedical applications. In addition, there are serious projects in designing equipment for positron-electron tomography, and a series of unique radionuclides that are used for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Finally, there are unique achievements in technologies of pattern recognition, decision making, and digital image processing, which can significantly improve the accuracy of cancer diagnosis. — In what area do you expect the next breakthrough? — In our opinion, one of the most promising areas is probably a cross between nanotechnology and nuclear medicine projects. The idea is to deliver radionuclides to tumors without irradiating other tissues. The delivery of radionuclides is the main problem of nuclear medicine. They do not last for more than two or three hours, but it is necessary to make sure that they do not just spend that time in the blood circulation, but that they reach the tumor precisely. It is at the juncture of nanotechnology and nuclear medicine techniques where we expect the next breakthrough. — How can this be achieved on a technical level? — Here is one example. Take any biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticle, for example, of silicon, which is one of the safest inorganic materials, and plant a radionuclide on it, such as rhenium-188. The particle delivers it to the site of the tumor. The radionuclide cures the tumor and then the particle dissolves and is excreted via renal clearance, with urine, without any side effects. This example involves the use of nanoparticles as vehicles for the delivery of radiopharmaceutical drugs to destroy cancer tumors. Our global goal, Nanotheranostics, is a combination of diagnosis and therapy on the nanometer scale. We expect that this method will destroy cancer cells and tumors with subcellular precision, ensured by the small size of the active area around the nanoparticles, while the nanoparticles themselves will withdraw from the body after the diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures without any adverse effects. We use nanotechnology to ensure the safest possible process of diagnosis and therapy. Because nanoparticles are applied locally, we will be able to cure cancer, while the body will not suffer any side effects. Unfortunately, chemotherapy and radiation therapy often destroy everything indiscriminately, and people die not from cancer, but from the effects of this treatment. Nanotheranostics is a way to avoid that.

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/news/201611011046949548-unique-technique-cancer-treatment/

 

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Russia to Open Europe's Largest Cancer Clinic Using Cutting Edge Proton Therapy © AFP 2016/ FRANCOIS GUILLOT

RUSSIA 21:41 08.10.2016(updated 20:07 09.10.2016) Get short URL 72337352 The new clinic in Russia's Ulyanovsk Oblast is being fitted with a cyclotron, and will be Europe's largest radiotherapy center after it opens next year, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on Saturday. © SPUTNIK/ SERGEY GUNEEV Russian Scientists Use Nuclear Reactor to Fight Cancer A clinic in the city of Dimitrovgrad, in Russia's Ulyanovsk Oblast, is receiving revolutionary new medical equipment for the treatment of cancer and other illnesses, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on Saturday. The equipment is a type of particle accelerator called a cyclotron, and is being installed by Belgian company IBA. A cyclotron is used to carry out proton therapy, a revolutionary new cancer treatment which uses protons rather than X-rays to treat cancer. The X-ray radiation widely used in cancer therapy is made of photons, a form of electromagnetic radiation. The X-rays destroy cancer cells so they can no longer multiply, but because doctors are unable to adequately direct the pattern of radiation, healthy cells may receive a similar dose of radiation and become damaged. The main advantage of proton therapy over ordinary radiation therapy is that it results in less damage to surrounding tissue. The 220-ton cyclotron uses magnets to speed up protons, tiny positively charged particles found in every atom in the universe which can destroy cancer cells at high energy. Proton beams in the cyclotron travel at up to two-thirds the speed of light, and are directed at tumors using PET, CT or MRI imaging. The large particle accelerator enables doctors to control the beam of protons and aim it precisely at the cancer cells. Unlike X-ray beams, proton beams stop once they hit their target. This precision allows physicians to use higher doses of radiation to control the tumor, and reduce damage to surrounding tissue. © FLICKR/ TRYGVE UTSTUMO Medical Breakthrough? UK Man May Be First Patient Cured of HIV The cyclotron is at the center of Russia's first radiology center providing proton beam therapy, a 19 billion ruble ($30.5 million) project which will be the largest center of radiology in Europe after its scheduled opening next year. The facility consists of a proton therapy center with the capacity to treat 1,200 patients a year, a center for radionuclide therapy, a hospital with 460 beds, a rehabilitation center and an outpatient clinic. As well as cancer patients, the new medical center will treat patients with cardiovascular, neurological and endocrine disorders. In total, the Dimitrovgrad facility will assist up to 40,000 patients annually from across the country.

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/russia/201610081046142257-russia-clinic-cancer-cyclotron/

 

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SEARCH RUSSIA Russia to invest $40 million in developing AIDS, cancer treatment RUSSIA 13:27 06.07.2010Get short URL 0 4 0 0 Russia's state-run, non-profit Rosnano will invest some 1.2 billion rubles (about $40 million) in developing treatment for AIDS, hepatitis and cancer of the pancreas, the corporation said on Tuesday. Russia's state-run, non-profit Rosnano will invest some 1.2 billion rubles (about $40 million) in developing treatment for AIDS, hepatitis and cancer of the pancreas, the corporation said on Tuesday. "Reviving the country's pharmaceutical industry...is a difficult task. But the country has no choice. It's a matter of state reputation and national health. This is a chance to attract 'smart money' to our country's economy," Rosnano head Anatoly Chubais said. Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev earlier urged scientists and businessmen to take steps to redevelop the industry. More than 200 innovative drugs are planned to be designed by 2020. Tatyana Nikolenfo who heads Rosnano's infrastructure programs, said that Russia had for a long time been a kind of "Eldorado for clinical tests" for Western pharmaceutical companies, "It all has been very cheap here. Western firms tested their projects in Russia and later they returned here in the capacity of expensive imports. We want to change the situation," she said. MOSCOW, July 6 (RIA Novosti)

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/russia/20100706159707282/