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Institutes
Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICB RAS) was established in 1990 as part of the division of the Institute of Biological Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the first institute of the Scientific Center for Biological Research of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Pushchino. Currently, the ICB RAS presents the following areas of research, the focus of which remains primarily on processes occurring at the cellular level:
- Molecular mechanisms of reception, intracellular signaling and intercellular communications, signal transfer in sensory, immune, nervous and other cell systems.
- Mechanisms of the cell response to various physical and physicochemical impacts including electromagnetic, ionizing and acoustic radiation, temperature and other factors.
- Physics, chemistry and biology of water; cell cryopreservation; creation of a genetic cryobank to save the genes of rare and endangered species of living beings; mechanisms of natural and artificial hypobiosis.
- Mechanisms of cellular stress; cell engineering, the role of stress proteins in the cell resistance to external impacts, as well as in the migration, invasion and metastasis of tumor cells.
- Modeling of structural and physical parameters of proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes; conformational mobility of biopolymers.
- Development of algorithms to analyze regulatory sequences and databases of physicochemical profiles of bacterial genomes; development of methods for constructing nanoscale ensembles of biological macromolecules.
- Medical aspects of cell biology; molecular mechanisms of cellular pathologies; development of approaches to the diagnostics of cell disruptions and search for means of their correction.
Each of these areas solves, first of all, the fundamental problems of modern physical and chemical biology in order to understand mechanisms that provide functioning of living systems and their responses to external physical and chemical impacts. All this creates the necessary scientific basis for developments to be applied in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. This requires a complex interdisciplinary approach with the use of various up-to-date methods, including in vivo visualization of metabolic processes, localization of receptors and signaling molecules in cells, revealing of the activity of single ion canals, analysis of the expression of individual genes, genome editing, modeling of nonlinear processes in biological systems, etc.
The Institute has 14 scientific laboratories and employs 258 people, 118 of them have an academic degree.
Contact Information: http://www.icb.pbcras.ru admin@icb.psn.ru
G.K. Scryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, named after G.K. Scryabin, of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBPM RAS ) was founded in 1965 as a multidisciplinary scientific institution aimed at the study of biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, and the biosphere role of microorganisms. One of the aims is also the development of new biotechnological processes to obtain microbial preparations for medical, agricultural, and environmental purposes.
Research areas
- Molecular genetic basis of the structure and functioning of microbial cells; biology of plasmids.
- Microbial metabolism and its regulation
- Physiology of microbial cell growth, formation of secondary metabolites
- Gene enzymology
- Biosynthesis of biologically active compounds and technologies for their production
- Metabolism and degradation of xenobiotics
- Biotechnology of environmental protection and remediation
- Microbiological means for plant protection
- Biomolecular electronics (biosensors, biofuel cells)
The most important achievements
- The investigations of the ultrastructure of new forms (species, genera) and genetically modified microorganisms have made it possible to discover and describe new bacterial cell structures and related processes.
- Technologies for the production of antibacterial and steroid drugs have been developed and scaled up to pilot and pilot levels.
- The scientific foundations of the microbiological synthesis of organic acids - intermediates of oxidative metabolism, as well as large-scale technologies for the production of citric acid and its sodium salts, have been developed.
- The polyphosphate-degrading enzymes in various cellular organelles of the yeast cell have been revealed and characterized.
- The metabolic basis of the “dialogue” between plants and aerobic methylotrophic bacteria, that supply plant cells with cytokinins, auxins, vitamins, and polysaccharides, have been described. Particular attention is paid to the mechanisms of functioning and expression of genetic systems in the course of interactions between bacteria and plants, phages and bacterial cells, for the purposes of xenobiotic degradation.
- The bio-preparations have been developed to combat oil-containing pollution based on engineered microbial associations of microorganisms with specified properties.
- Prototypes of industrial biosensor analyzers have been created to solve analytical problems in biotechnology, the food industry, and environmental protection.
- The inventions and discoveries of the IBPM scientists have been protected by 380 national and 80 international patents.
- More than 7,400 publications in more in national and international journals.
The Institute structure
There are 18 laboratories and research groups in the Institute structure.The total number of employees is more than 400 people, of which 150 are scientific workers, including 3 corresponding members of the RAS, 22 doctors of science (D.Sci), and 90 candidates (Ph.D) of science. The Institute also hosts:
- The All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms recognized as the International Depository and the largest in Russia non-medical microbiological collection.
- The Pilot Plant aimed at the development of a wide range of biotechnologies.
Contact Information: http://www.ibpm.ru adm@ibpm.ru
The Institute of Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The Institute of Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBP RAS) was established in 1994 on the basis of the Scientific-Production Unity Biopribor (the former Special Design Bureau for Biological Instrumentation).
The main strategies of the Institute development
- Search for and development of novel methods and technologies to be used in pure and applied research in physical and chemical biology, biotechnology and related fields (medicine, agriculture).
- Inventions aimed at the development of new scientific instruments, laboratory and software equipment
- Organization of the serial production of instruments and equipment.
Areas of research and development
- Development of instruments to study the thermodynamic properties of biological systems (differential adiabatic scanning and titration microcalorimeters).
- Development of spectral and optical instruments for the visible and ultraviolet spectra including spectrofluorimeters and spectrophotometers.
- Development of methods and equipment for microbial cell cultivation.
- Development of methods and equipment for the isolation and purification of biologically active compounds from raw materials of the plant origin.
- Development of instruments and equipment for biochemical investigations (freeze dryers, cell disintegrators, computer pH-ionomers, dispensers, shakers, valves for overhead stirrers, etc.).
- Development of equipment for cell research (micromanipulators), equipment for the production of instruments for cell microsurgery, electroporators, etc.
- Development of methods applied in analyses of the Earth's surface.
- Development of adaptable measurement information systems capable of data processing for home telemedicine.
- Research into the physicochemical and functional properties of metal-binding and intrinsically disordered proteins, as well as the development of new methods for their study.
The most important achievements
Since 1965, more than 200 new scientific instruments and equipment have been developed for both unique and routine research, and about 4,000 devices have been supplied to institutes across the country and abroad.
The high technical level and novelty of the devices created by the Institute are confirmed by 448 copyright certificates and 40 patents in the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan and other countries.
The developed devices have been repeatedly exhibited at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy VDNH (about 50 medals received). They were recognized at international exhibitions and fairs, e.g.:
- The high-speed spectrophotometer-170 was awarded a gold medal at the Plovdiv Fair in 1973.
- The differential adiabatic scanning microcalorimeter DASM-1 in 1977, the microspectrofluorimeter MSF-2 in 1987, and equipment for biotechnology in 1988 were awarded gold medals at the Leipzig Fair.
Contact information: https://www.ibp-ran.ru ibp@ibp-ran.ru
Institute of Fundamental Problems of Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The Institute of Fundamental Problems of Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IFPB RAS) was created in 1982 on the basis of two research units of the USSR Academy of Sciences: the Institute of Agrochemistry and Soil Science and the Institute of Photosynthesis.
IFPB RAS is the only scientific organization in this country that studies the plant and microbial photosynthesis at the highest up-to-date level: from its primary stages to its total role in the biosphere. The main research interests are thus aimed at the comprehension of molecular mechanisms underlining the transformation of energy (including light) in the course of the plant and microbial photosynthesis, photobiotechnology and physicochemical processes that provide the sustainability and adaptation of ecosystems to external impacts.
The Institute employs about 200 people, about half of them are research workers: one academician, 24 doctors of science (D.Sci), and 69 candidates (Ph.D) of science working at two Departments: Photobiology (8 laboratories) and Ecology (2 laboratories).
Research Areas
- Plant and microbial photosynthesis, biotechnology, ecology.
- Molecular mechanisms of energy transformation, conversion and storage of energy during photosynthesis.
- Structure and functions of membranes and supramolecular complexes involved in the biological transformation of energy and metabolites; photobiotechnology.
- Molecular mechanisms of gene expression.
- Formation of functionally active proteins.
- Regulation of biochemical processes.
- Effect of physical factors on biological systems.
- Bioreceptors.
- Physico-chemical factors providing the ecosystem stability; biogeochemistry of the environment and monitoring of its components; eco-physiological and biochemical problems of the ecosystem adaptation under man-made impacts.
The most important achievements
- The sequence of electron transfer has been clarified, the time characteristics of the primary stages of light energy conversion during photosynthesis in plants and microorganisms have been established. It was discovered, in particular, that the primary electron acceptors in photosynthetic reaction centers are pigments of the chlorophyll nature.
- The interaction between photoactive chlorophyll pigments in the photosynthetic reaction centers was studied. The model of this process was created from the spatial arrangement; it was later confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.
- Fundamentally new ideas about the mechanism of light energy conversion in the oxygen-emitting photosystem of plants have been put forward and experimentally substantiated.
- The block structure of the photosynthetic apparatus of plants and microorganisms was conceptualized.
- The scientific foundations of photobiotechnological methods for producing hydrogen and a number of physiologically active compounds have been developed.
- Structural features of lipopolysaccharides from photosynthetic bacteria have been identified, they are known to provide the bacterial protection against lethal doses of endotoxins.
- The mechanism of formation of reactive oxygen species during photosynthesis in chloroplasts is described in detail. It has been proved that hydrogen peroxide in the cells of higher plants serves as a signal molecule initiating changes in the biosynthesis of components of the photosynthetic apparatus that ensure the survival of plants and preservation of their productivity under changing environmental conditions.
- Features of the interrelationships between carbon metabolism and the structure of photosynthetic apparatus in plants of various taxa and from different regions have been systematized and summarized.
- Biogeochemical foundations of the functioning of natural and agricultural ecosystems have been developed, that make possible a forecast of their response to external influences.
Over the past 10 years, the Institute has published about 1200 papers in national and international journals and more than 40 books.
The awards
- Two State Prizes of the USSR (1988 and 1991),
- Two Prizes of the Government of the Russian Federation (1997 and 2004),
- The Prize named after. A.N. Kosygin of the Russian Union of Commodity Producers (2003),
- Two awards from the Hunan Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the People's Republic of China (2004 and 2006),
- The award from the Governor of the Moscow Region (2009),
- The award named after A.N. Bach of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2011)
Contact information: http://ibbp.psn.ru ttt-00@mail.ru
Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences
In 1970, the USSR Academy of Sciences established the Institute of Agrochemistry and Soil Science in the city of Pushchino with the aim of developing research of soil and its total effect on the biosphere. In 1982, that Institute was merged with the Institute of Photosynthesis to form the Institute of Soil Science and Photosynthesis (ISSP). Later on, in 1999, the two institutions were divided again to form two research units one of which was the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPC and BPSS RAS).
Research Areas and Advances
The priority task of the Institute is the study of the impact of global climate change on the evolution of soil cover, the role of soils in the runoff and emission of greenhouse gases, physicochemical and biological processes of soil formation, research into the biosphere functions of soil cover, which largely regulates the composition of the atmosphere and is a reservoir of nutrients for plants and microorganisms.
The soil is a kind of buffer that prevents drastic changes in the concentration of so-called greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Current climate change is caused directly by the imbalance of the global carbon cycle due to an unprecedented increase in industrial emissions of carbon-containing greenhouse gases.
The scientists of this Institute have proven that Russia, with its forests, is clearly a real environmental donor: the absorption of carbon dioxide on its territory significantly exceeds its emissions. One of the laboratories continues vigorous studies of the biogenic balance of carbon dioxide.
Laboratory for Modeling of Ecosystems develops forecasts of possible changes in ecosystems due to global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
Of great importance is the study of paleosoils witnessing the geological and historical past of our planet. A unique feature of the biosphere is its ability to preserve in detail the paleosoil “archives” - thousands and millions years of changes in climate, environment and life on the Earth. The important data were obtained on the patterns of Pleistocene and Holocene climate dynamics, soil and vegetation cover in the semiarid and arid regions of Eurasia. The Institute carries out unique studies of paleosoils of the Paleozoic epoch (300-400 million years ago) on the territory of the East European Platform. The results obtained demonstrate the initial stages of the soil formation on the Earth and of the pedosphere and biosphere evolution.
The Institute created and successfully develops a so-called archaeological soil science. Today it is one of the “calling cards” of the Institute. Working hand-in-hand with archaeologists, the Institute scientists examine the soils of archaeological “monuments” of the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and Middle Ages. The studies of buried soils and cultural layers in ancient settlements makes it possible to reveal many aspects of the life of ancient man, his household and production activities, relationships with the environment.
One of the important target it the study of permafrost soils that represent over 70% of all the Russian soils. Research is being conducted in Kolyma, Kamchatka, Chukotka, Antarctica, and the Arctic shelf.
A new research interest is connected with astrobiology aimed at the elucidation of a possible existence of extraterrestrial life forms in the Universe. The Institute scientists have germinated the seeds of plants discovered in permafrost samples of hundreds of thousands of years old. Research in this area is necessary to understand the properties and “behavior” of soils under extreme conditions. The importance of studying cryopreservation can hardly be overestimated: samples of “frozen” soils fly in the space with isolated microorganisms.
The Institute employs 2 corresponding members of RAS, 19 doctors (D.Sci) and more than 50 candidates (Ph.D) of science. Currently, the Institute hosts 10 research laboratories and scientific support units:
- Laboratory of Archaeological Soil Science
- Laboratory of Geochemistry and Soil Mineralogy
- Laboratory of Soil Cryology
- Laboratory for Modeling of Ecosystems
- Laboratory for Studies of Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Cycles
- Laboratory of Soil Physico-Chemistry
- Laboratory of Soil Ecology
- Soil genesis and evolution group
- Group of biogeochemical technologies
- Center for shared use "Physico-chemical methods for studying soils and ecosystems"
Contact information: https://issp.pbcras.ru/ soil@issp.serpukhov.su