TASS, December 1. A laboratory for modeling and gene therapy of human diseases has been created at Belgorod State National Research University, the university's press service said Wednesday.
As noted by Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation at Belgorod State National Research University Nikolai Repnikov, the laboratory is primarily created to carry out research work within the framework of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program of Genetic Technologies Development. "The laboratory a is highly important factor in creating the Genetic Technology Research Institute on the basis of Belgorod State University by 2025 and generally in solving the ambitious task of creating a gene therapy clinic, which we set within the Priority 2030 program," the vice-rector’s press service quotes Repnikov as saying.
Head of the Joint Center for Genetic Technologies of Belgorod State National Research University, candidate of biological sciences Alexey Deikin noted that the university is implementing a program for the development and preclinical testing of gene therapy drugs for one of the most common muscular dystrophies called dysferlinopathy, as well as creating an animal model (in mice) of Parkinson's disease using federal grant funds (the grant is 265.5 million rubles or $3.6 million). To date, research teams consisting mainly of young scientists have been formed and they have already published several scientific articles and notes on their current progress in highly ranked journals.
The decision to create the laboratory was made at the university's Academic Council. The new laboratory will be headed by the head of the grant project, Professor Vladimir Bukhman of Cardiff University (UK).