MSU: a device that will replace ultrasound and X-rays, and much more
Made in MSU
Irina Ivoylova, Rossiyskaya Gazeta – Federal Issue, 05.02.2013
The Ministry of Economic Development has just prepared a Forecast for Russia's long-term development until 2030. In particular, it notes that Russia ranks 12th in the world in terms of the number of scientific publications. Of the 34 most important technological areas, only a third of our country occupies a leading position. And only 16 percent of technologies reach commercial use.
How to make university science profitable? How much does a publication in a rating magazine cost and does the university have to pay a premium for it? The correspondent of "RG" talks about this with the rector of Moscow State University, Academician Viktor Sadovnichy.
Viktor Antonovich, they say you have invented a device that allows a doctor to "feel" the internal organs of a person, roughly speaking, without touching them. It's true?Viktor Sadovnichy: Yes, such a device was created by a group of MSU scientists, which I led.
It works like this: the doctor makes a puncture, inserts a special probe into the cavity, at the end of which there are sensitive sensors. They transmit information that is processed on a computer, and then the doctor sees the picture in 3D. Moreover, a set-top box is attached to the computer. The doctor touches it with his fingers and feels the real density of the diseased organ.
I supervised all the work and, in particular, the mathematical calculations that help to convert the signal into an image. The work went on for six years. In 2012, the device was registered by Roszdravnadzor, which allows it to be used in any medical center in the country. It has already been put into production at one of the Tula defense plants and a thousand copies will soon be delivered to clinics.
Would you risk being tested as a patient yourself?Viktor Sadovnichy: It would be better to do without it for a long time.
But – of course! This is a new word in diagnostics. Other methods – ultrasound, X-ray, electrowave methods still do not give as accurate images as the surgeon would like.
By the way, the other day our group won another competition for a three-year project to develop a "robot nurse". Experience shows: during man-made disasters, a nurse should always be near the patient to give an antidote, give an intramuscular injection or inject medicine intravenously. We are ready to create a robot that will do this. And most importantly, he will be able to calculate the dose himself.
The next stage is a surgical robot. We call him the "Pie robot" among ourselves. Pirogov will be able to do small operations himself. The robotization of surgery is a very difficult scientific task, for which there are few mathematicians and doctors to solve. We need factories with high technologies, an electronic database, such as in Zelenograd, for example.
A unique Medical Center has just opened in Moscow State University. This is not only a clinic, but also a base for the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine and other departments related to human studies.
Will the university become a competitor of medical universities?Victor Sadovnichy:
I believe that medical faculties should be attached to classical universities. They have different goals and objectives with medical schools. The University is aimed at research work, including in related fields – biology, physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, mathematics, psychology. It is important not only to be able to treat diseases, it is necessary to prevent their occurrence. And this is a task for scientists from different fields of knowledge.
Are there any innovative projects already?Victor Sadovnichy:
About a hundred research teams have applied, including foreign scientists. To promote these projects, the Center of the National Intellectual Reserve has been opened at Moscow State University. He will help bring the idea of scientists to an industrial design, and then it will be necessary to look for a buyer in the market and replicate the sample.
The center's employees have already selected "their" projects from this hundred. About half of them: They are related to the information sphere, medicine, bioengineering, bioinformatics, IT technologies, oil production and research.
But this does not mean that the other projects are not suitable. They will be on the "bench", maybe they will get a place in the same building, but they will be more independent. The task of the center is to grow over time into a large technopark – an innovative valley. The same building will house a project related to space exploration – scientists are trying to create a new simulator for training astronauts. Now there are fresh ideas for studying the vestibular system, vision in zero gravity.
Russian scientists have a catastrophic situation with citations in scientific journals. MGIMO gives a bonus of 150 thousand rubles for this. And how do MSU encourage authors of publications in international publications?Victor Sadovnichy:
Twice a year we compile lists of highly cited authors, usually 300-400 people receive awards. The amount of the bonus can be different – 80, 100 thousand rubles. And maybe 150 thousand. Some natural science journals ask to pay for publication, sometimes they ask for 50-70 thousand rubles. This year we have compiled a list of those scientists who had to pay for publications, and we are going to compensate them for the costs.
Who translates the articles of Russian scientists and prepares them for publication?Victor Sadovnichy:
It happens in different ways. Not a very good level of language proficiency is one of the reasons for low citation. Articles are sometimes not accepted because they are poorly translated into English. For publication in a highly rated magazine, style, language are important, and much depends on the translation. There is a special department for translating documents at Moscow State University, and if one of the teachers needs help, the center can help. But there are still a lot of difficulties.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru05.02.2013