Institute of
bioorganic chemistry

Nanoparticles based on the biocompatible amphiphilic poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (Amph-PVP) derivatives are promising for drug delivery. Also, many efforts have been made to exploit the DR5-dependent apoptosis induction for cancer treatment. Researchers from the IBCh RAS together with colleagues from the MUCTR, MSU and FMBA of Russia fabricated Amph-PVP-based nanoparticles covalently conjugated with antitumor DR5-specific TRAIL (Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand) variant DR5-B and evaluated their in vitro cytotoxicity in 3D tumor spheroids. The nanoparticles were found to enhance cytotoxicity effects compared to those of free DR5-B in both 2D and 3D in vitro models. Taking into account the nanoparticles loading ability with a wide range of low-molecular weight antitumor chemotherapeutics into hydrophobic core and feasibility of conjugation with hydrophilic therapeutic molecules by click chemistry, it can further be developed to a versatile system for targeted drug delivery into tumor cells. The results are published in Pharmaceutics.

An outstanding scientist, director and president of the Scripps Research Institute (from 1987 to 2012), founding director of the Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, a member of the International Advisory Board of the IBCh RAS and a laureate of many international awards, Professor Richard Lerner passed away on December 2, 2021 at the age of 83. He made a huge contribution to the development of biological and medical sciences. The staff and administration of the IBCh RAS express their sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Richard Lerner.

The team of the Department of metabolism and redox biology of Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in collaboration with colleagues from the Federal Center of Brain Research and Neurotechnologies of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, Lomonosov Moscow State University and several other institutes have developed a technology that allows real time recording of intracellular metabolic processes in vivo. On the model of ischemic stroke in rodents, the new data were obtained on changes occurring in neurons during the development of pathology. The work was published in Redox Biology. Learn more

One-dimensional (1D) necklace-like assembly of inorganic nanoparticles exhibits unique chemical and physical collective properties. This review focuses on the recent advances in the production of these assemblies employing colloidal synthesis and self-assembly procedures. In the process of colloidal synthesis, both in solution and using templates, as well as under the action of external forces, highly ordered ensembles with unique properties are formed. Diverse nature, size and shape of preformed particles, along with utilizing different linkers, templates or external field lead to fabrication of 1D chain nanostructures with peculiar properties. The unique structure−property relationship offers broad spectrum of implementations, for example, in photonics, electronics, electrocatalysis, magnetics. This work was supported by RFBR project № 18-29-20064 and RSCF project № 21-75-30020 and was published in Advances in Colloid and Interface Science.

A team of scientists from the Laboratory of molecular immunology and Nursery for laboratory animals in collaboration with colleagues from other Russian institutes for the first time proposed the use of Barnase-Barstar pair as a «molecular glue». Targeting was mediated through the use of a scaffold protein DARPin_9–29 specific for the human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2) antigen that is highly expressed on some types of cancer and Barnase*Barstar native bacterial proteins interacted with each other with Kd 10-14 M. The results obtained indicate that the new system combining DARPin and Barnase*Barstar can be useful both for the drug development and for monitoring the response to treatment in vivo in preclinical studiesаа. This work was published in the Journal of Controlled Release. Learn more