Winner Of VYZOV Prize Meets Russian President at Future Technologies Forum

Raul Gainetdinov, Director of the Institute of Translational Biomedicine at St. Petersburg State University and winner of the VYZOV Prize in "Scientist of the Year" category, participated in the plenary session. His research helps find new medicinal treatments for schizophrenia, depression, ADHD in children, and Parkinson's disease.

Mr. Gainetdinov talked to the Russian President about the challenges ahead. According to him, while life expectancy in Russia is increasing, there is also a less positive trend — the incidence of anxiety, depressive disorders, and other pathologies is on the rise.

"We live in the times of rapid technological development and explosive growth of information around us, which, of course, affects our nervous system. The levels of stress have increased significantly throughout the world, and Russia has not been immune to it," he explained.

Scientists need to create new generations of drugs with improved characteristics because not all patients respond well to the existing medications. Raul Gainetdinov has been working on this task for 35 years.

"More than ten years ago, I was invited by the St. Petersburg State University to launch a world-class laboratory where we now continue these studies," said Mr. Gainetdinov. Russian scientists are among the world's leading experts in this field.

Implementation of these new drugs will have a major impact on the healthcare system. Researchers are confident that this will improve the quality of life for patients, increase the number of diseases that can be cured, and bring innovations to the international market.

Vsevolod Belousov, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director General of the Federal Center of Brain Research and Neurotechnologies, and member of the Scientific Committee of the Vyzov Foundation, also took part in the meeting with Vladimir Putin. He discussed some possible applications of neurotechnologies.

Technologies that used to be seen only in science fiction are already helping people get back to their normal lives. They help restore body functions lost after heart stroke, treat tremors associated with Parkinson's disease, and replace lost limbs with neuroprostheses.

"We have an ambitious goal of making bionic prostheses with sensory feedback that can be directly integrated into the nervous system. Patients would feel the prosthesis as if it were a part of their body and could use it just as naturally. In order to achieve this goal, we are joining forces with several leading clinical and research centers and high-tech companies. We want the word "cyborg" to eventually acquire a positive connotation," said Vsevolod Belousov.

Vladimir Putin summed up the meeting with scientists by noting that the government will continue to focus on areas related to healthcare and improving life expectancy. "We will by all means keep holding such events annually," he concluded.

The VYZOV Prize was established to honor the achievements of researchers who are affecting modern science and the lives of all people. The first awards ceremony took place last December. Raul Gainetdinov won the Prize alongside Ilya Semerikov ("Future" category), Hamlet Khojibagiyan ("Engineering Solution"), and Pavlos Lagoudakis ("Breakthrough").