GenerationS: innovations in biomedicine
Treats cancer like teeth
A Moscow scientist has developed a device
for targeted chemotherapy
Evdokia Shelamova
The finalist of the GenerationS contest on the BiotechMed track, Lex Quantum, has created a Quantum Cure device that will allow removing malignant tumors without surgery and general chemotherapy. With its help, it will be possible to use highly effective drugs that are not currently used due to severe toxicity.
The principle of operation of the innovative development is simple – a chemotherapy drug is injected into the tumor through a needle, while high temperature and electrical impulses are simultaneously affected. And most importantly, such a development can reduce the cost of cancer treatment by about three times in the future, the scientist believes.
The device is currently in the prototype stage. However, in 2005-2010 Andrey Lomonosov (now he is one of the directors of the company) I have already conducted clinical trials of a device with a similar effect, which turned out to be successful – out of 100 patients, only two relapsed.
– Simply put, this device treats cancer, as teeth are treated now, – the scientist explains. – Now we are looking for investors, if everything works out, in about a year we will be able to present the prototype to companies that will be able to use it. And after three years, the device may well already be on the market.
The presentation of the project can be downloaded on the GenerationS website.
Technological know-how of Russian scientists
will reduce the cost and time of genetic analysis
Evgenia Andrianova
A group of young Russian scientists presented an innovative development in the field of genetic engineering at the GenerationS startup competition.
Genetic research is carried out by scientific organizations, research institutes and medical centers around the world. The Gene toolbox company, represented by Russian biologists and bioinformatics, has developed a technology that makes it possible to simplify and speed up the procedure of genetic analysis.
"Gene toolbox" offers the creation of so-called "DNA scissors" – enzymes that recognize and "cut" specific sections of DNA. The resulting fragments are sent for sequencing – DNA sequence analysis. This method is used, in particular, to determine subtypes of breast cancer. Such diagnostics allows doctors to identify targets of therapeutic effects and, accordingly, to apply more effective tactics of treatment of patients.
Genetic engineering tools already available on the market have a number of disadvantages. Too wide specificity of enzymes complicates the processing of results, and, consequently, increases the time of data analysis. All this inevitably leads to an increase in the cost of conducting genetic research.
The Gene toolbox team has developed a method to reduce costs and enhance the technological characteristics of genetic tools. Here is what Pavel Trukhanov, one of the authors of the project, says: "The method we have developed will allow us to increase the specificity of the analysis by 4.5 times, reduce the time of its implementation by 14 times and reduce costs by 10 times."
It is worth noting that the development team has gone from the idea of technology to a prototype with confirmed demand in 1.5 years.
The project description is posted on the website russianstartuprating.ru
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GenerationS is a federal accelerator competition for technology startups, which has been held since 2013 by the Russian Venture Company and the Moscow Innovation Development Center with the support of the Moscow Government. The prize fund of the contest is five million rubles. BiotechMed is the direction of biomedical technologies and medicine at the GenerationS competition.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru29.10.2014