Biotechnology, despite all the pathos and innovativeness of the name, is one of the most ancient industries, which appeared when the very concept of science was not yet established. At the same time, without any doubt, today biotechnology in the broad sense of this concept is one of the most promising and promising areas for studying the possibilities of using living organisms.

In fact, humanity first encountered biotechnology (in the simplest and broadest sense) at the same moment when they encountered “biota” - that is, the biologically active population of a wide variety of entities on our planet: when baking bread, brewing beer (in both cases this yeast cultures) and at the very first, timid steps in the selection of those plants that helped feed themselves.

Of course, the conscious and systematic development of biotechnology began later, in fact, not so long ago by the standards of science, at the end of the 17th century, when the existence of microorganisms was discovered. A huge role in this discovery was played by St. Petersburg academician K. S. Kirkhgov, who discovered the phenomenon of biological catalysis and tried to biocatalytically obtain sugar from available domestic raw materials (primarily beets). And we owe the term “biotechnology” to the Hungarian engineer Karl Ereky, who first used it in his works in 1917. Much credit for the initial development of biotechnology as a branch of the science of biology is also given to one of the most famous microbiologists - Louis Pasteur, thanks to whose discoveries no one doubted that biotechnology is an independent scientific field.

The first patent in the field of biotechnology was issued in 1891 in the USA - the Japanese biochemist Dz. Takamine discovered a method for using enzyme preparations for industrial purposes: using diastase to saccharify plant waste.

In the 20th century, the development of biotechnology acquired a new form and many directions - in particular, they began to influence other industries and areas of human economic activity. It is only worth saying that the active development of the fermentation and microbiological industry has given us hundreds, if not thousands, of methods and preparations that significantly improve the life of every person: it has become possible to produce antibiotics, food concentrates, as well as control the fermentation of products of plant and animal origin, which incredibly important for food supply.

Isolation and purification to an acceptable level of the first antibiotic, penicillin, became possible only in 1940, simultaneously taking the entire biotechnology industry to a completely new level and posing new tasks, such as: searching and developing technologies for the production of medicinal substances produced by microorganisms, working to reduce the cost and increasing the level of safety when a patient takes medications, and so on.

In today's world, biotechnology is actually inextricably linked with engineering (including genetic engineering), energy, medicine, agriculture, ecology and many other industries and scientific areas of thought.

Over the past 100 years, thanks to unbridled progress in all directions, the range of problems and methods for solving them in biotechnology have changed significantly. At the heart of the so-called The “new” biotechnology is based on very advanced and high-tech methods of genetic and cellular engineering, with the help of which many complex operations are carried out, including the reconstruction of their viable copies from individual fragments of cells.

At the intersection of biotechnology and other scientific fields, the most interesting and unexpected solutions can be born, allowing us to better understand and use the potential of a wide variety of living organisms. As a result, we learn more about the processes by which we obtain:

– Materials and composites
– Fuel and synthesis methods
– Medicines and vaccines
– Methods for diagnosing and preventing diseases, including genetically determined ones
– Not to mention the aging process, which is in a sense the “philosopher’s stone” of the world of biotechnology, there are many absolutely mundane and, excuse me, “simple” prospects for application in real life with its practice.

First of all, here, of course, are “genetically modified organisms,” the notorious “GMOs,” that are unjustifiably unloved by the uneducated reader/viewer/listener. In fact, humanity, from the very moment it replaced nomadism with a sedentary lifestyle and began cultivating the land and raising livestock, has been creating “genetically modified” crops in agriculture. Without this, we would not have had a harvest in principle, since the conditions of the biocenosis (that is, the sustainable development of organisms) simply would not have allowed us to grow either a cow or wheat. And that is why plant biotechnology can solve many problems, from hunger and food supply, to improving the quality of life of all people by harmonizing the nutritional levels of a wide variety of plant foods.

One should not think that biotechnology has reached the peak of its development today - such an opinion would be completely wrong. There is a further fragmentation of “biotechnologies” into intensive areas that deal with their own applied tasks. For example, in Russia a “Comprehensive Biotechnology Development Program” was adopted, within the framework of which it is planned to create a globally competitive sector of bioeconomy and enterprises working in this area. At the same time, it is expected that by 2020 the volume of this sector will amount to at least 1% of GDP, and by 2030 – at least 3% of the GDP of the Russian Federation. These are not just ambitious plans, but a harsh reality that must be met.

Which industries could be impacted by biotechnology in the very near future? Almost everything, because we see further integration of various scientific and applied fields with each other.

Let's take the space industry as an example, which is already actively working with microorganisms using real biotechnological methods. For example, thanks to the sending of various types of microorganisms to the ISS, we know that a huge number of bacteria are resistant to hard cosmic radiation of a wide variety of spectra and waves. Moreover, we have discovered microorganisms on Earth that are in a state of suspended animation (roughly speaking: “hibernation”), which emerged from it only after being irradiated by cosmic rays. These microorganisms simply could not have formed on our planet; they were brought to us during the formation of the Solar System from other space objects in our galaxy.

How else can biotechnology influence human exploration of the space closest to us? Imagine even a simple research expedition to other planets within our local group - for example, to Mars. In addition to the psychological stability of the crew of such an expedition (and the flight will last at least a year at the current level of development of rocket and other types of engines suitable for interplanetary communication), it will need a decent supply of food and fuel. Even now, it is impossible to deliver an annual supply of food to a group of 3-5 astronauts to the ISS - it is too heavy and will require several launch vehicles. What can we say about a long-term space mission, during which there will simply be no possibility of replenishing supplies “on the road”.

Therefore, it will be necessary to establish uninterrupted growing of food on site - only such a scheme will ensure the safety of both the flight mission and colonization. Scientists at the National Laboratory. Berkeley” in the USA, which propose, precisely, to resort to the use of the latest achievements in the field of synthetic biology. What does it mean?

Researchers have calculated that for an expedition to Mars lasting approximately two and a half years, the use of modern methods used in biotechnology will reduce the need for combustible fuel by two and a half times and for food by ⅓. In the report, the researchers noted that recent developments at the intersection of biology and nanotechnology will also help in the construction of residential modules. Directly on another planet, be it Mars or some other. All materials necessary for this can be synthesized directly on site, and the building blocks will be obtained using multilayer 3D printing technology.

Naturally, biotechnology also has numerous “counterbalances” and restraining factors, the first of which are social, ethical and religious prerequisites. A person can, in fact, use the capabilities of living organisms to solve a wide variety of problems in an endless cycle, but, in practice, only up to a certain point - a certain line that “cannot be crossed.” First of all, this concerns the complete cloning of living organisms (remember the sheep “Dolly” and everything that was said about her). Today this is prohibited in most developed countries, and people who, in spite of everything, are ready to do this, have to look for both funding and conditions for work where they do not violate any laws - for example, in the neutral waters of the world's oceans (which are not controlled by national laws or one country).

At the same time, of course, no one today excludes the fact that in the future complete human cloning will become possible. How this will stimulate the entire biotechnology industry and what new knowledge-intensive areas of work will appear in it following this event - the future will show.

This concerns the general development of biotechnology as a large scientific and industrial sector at the intersection of technology and biology. And what professions and areas of employment are affected by broad “biotechnologies” as a concept? In fact, there are many of them. Let's try to list only the most interesting and promising ones.

He is a specialist in replacing existing and formally obsolete solutions in various industries with new techniques from the field of biotechnology (for example, biofuels instead of diesel fuel, or organic building materials instead of cement, concrete and steel).

He is a specialist in planning, designing and creating closed-cycle technologies involving genetically modified organisms and microorganisms (biorectors, food production systems in urban environments).

He is a specialist dedicated to designing new types of cities using the latest advances in biotechnology, including clean biological energy resources and pollution control systems.

This is a specialist in the creation of new medicinal biological products with specified properties that can replace artificially synthesized drugs.

This is a specialist in the arrangement and maintenance of agro-industrial farms on the roofs and walls of skyscrapers and residential buildings, that is, in urban areas. This could include both food and livestock.

This is a specialist who uses the properties and organization of living nature and living organisms (including humans) to create automated systems and improve computer technology. For example, distributed computing networks based on microorganisms are already solving specific problems that are not subject to computer modeling.

Russia's accession to the WTO, sweeping away artificial restrictions and protective barriers, exposes the main issue of Russian livestock farming: the weakness of the feed supply. The main reason for this is climate.

Russia is the northernmost of the great powers; the length of the agricultural year is significantly shorter than in any country in Europe or America. In the pre-industrial era, this led to the fact that the bulk of peasant livestock in Russia was kept not for meat or milk, but for manure. Dung farming - such an interesting phenomenon existed in Tsarist Russia. In the USSR, the successes of agronomy and agrochemistry led to the creation of industrial livestock farming, but the feed issue was not resolved; livestock were fed 90% feed grain with a low protein content, insufficiently rich in amino acid composition and, in particular, lysine, unlike legumes, especially soybeans . Russia has never had a shortage of its own soybeans due to natural reasons - it is a heat-loving and southern plant. Even in the late 80s, more than 42 percent of all concentrated feeds were used in an incomplete (unbalanced) form, and another quarter was unbalanced in individual components. Moreover, back in 2010, more than half of the total amount of grain intended for feed was used unprocessed. Therefore, the consumption of grain per ton of feed in the USSR was more than twice as high as in Holland, and the conversion rate of feed into animal proteins reached 8. In modern Russia, in recent years, based on the import of Western technologies, the latest pig and poultry complexes have been created, several largest complexes are being built for cattle, but the feed issue is still not resolved. If the best Western producers achieve a conversion factor of 2.2-2.5, then the best Russian ones reach “a little more than three,” and the Ministry of Agriculture uses the figure “5” for calculations. At the same time, we cannot compete with Western meat producers due to cheaper open-air grazing (as Brazil and Argentina do) - on the contrary, the duration of winter housing in Russia is longer than in Western countries.

Obviously, with all other things being equal (which in fact are not) - with the same level of management, technology, personnel training, quality control, etc. – Russian livestock farming will lose the competition to Western ones because of feed, the cost of which makes up 70% of the final cost of meat and dairy products. And at the same time, Russia does not have the opportunity to solve the “feed issue” within the framework of traditional approaches. Feed grain, which we have in abundance, in its natural form is not suitable for balanced feed; our soybean will never grow the way it grows in the USA or Brazil. Therefore, the prospects that opened up after joining the WTO frighten our livestock farmers. The largest domestic producers - Cherkizovo, Miratorg and others - have already begun the struggle to increase production efficiency.

This struggle, waged within the framework of the traditional path of development of livestock farming, is doomed from a strategic perspective. In Russia, it is impossible to grow enough soybeans to replace feed grain. It is impossible to establish a strong, competitive livestock industry on the world market on the basis of imported soybeans and soybean meal, since soybean consumption in the world is growing at an accelerated pace. Firstly, China is absorbing more and more. Secondly, more and more plant feed is used to produce biofuels. Finally, it is impossible to create modern feed based on feed grains by simply adding the missing amino acids to it - in comparison with soy feed, such feed will still be more expensive, and therefore the meat obtained from them will be less profitable.

Therefore, the USSR tried to take an unconventional path, creating an alternative plant source of feed protein, obtaining it using microbiological methods based on petroleum paraffins. It was a grandiose project, comparable in importance to a nuclear one, but it was not completed, and during the years of perestroika it was the first to be destroyed - even before our missiles and our submarine fleet.

But the path paved by the laboratories and factories of the USSR Ministry of Microbiological Industry remained. And it is Russia’s only chance to create competitive livestock farming in an open WTO market.

Microbiological industry - the path to a bright future

This is not about repeating the Soviet experience with the production of feed protein from petroleum paraffins. Since the 1960s–1970s. and oil has become significantly more expensive, and environmental requirements for production have become more stringent, and microbiology has stepped far forward. To obtain one ton of protein, 2.5 tons of hydrocarbons are needed, which is unprofitable at an oil price of $110 per barrel. Therefore, instead of the water-based deep fermentation used in the production of paprin, modern microbiology offers various methods of solid-phase fermentation of biomass of organic origin (plant residues, food industry waste, etc.). For example, brewing is now very developed in Russia; Russian barley is used to produce beer - one of the ineffective feedstuffs, and the stillage left after brewing is a valuable substrate for processing by microbiological methods into feed protein. It is quite possible to produce compound feeds from it that are competitive in price and quality with feeds created on the basis of imported soybean meal.

In order to transform Russian feed grains - low-grade wheat, rye, barley, etc., as well as rapeseed, sunflower, beet pulp, etc., used as ineffective substitutes for soybeans, from a weak point in the feed supply of Russian livestock farming into its basis, - it must be passed through the microbiological industry.

This is not a cheap pleasure. The cost of a microbiological plant starts from 5 billion rubles, and the cost of “hardware” - equipment - and the cost of “science” - a microorganism strain that, in fact, will process waste into the desired products - are approximately the same. The pharmacological direction of microbiology is even more expensive. To bring a drug from the molecule stage to a patented drug, it takes the giants of world pharmacology 10-15 years and about one billion dollars. There is not a single company in Russia capable of doing this. After the decision was made thirty years ago to abandon government support for the microbiological industry, our country fell out of the global process of biotechnology development. Feed protein production plants were destroyed, hydrolysis plants eked out a miserable existence producing adulterated alcoholic beverages, but in recent years they too began to close due to tightening government policy in the field of alcohol control. The surviving institutes and laboratories continue research, but the results of this research are not commercialized, since they do not invest in the development of new products on the market, and they are not able to compete with the world's leading companies on an “equal opportunity” basis. The production of biotechnological products is carried out in small batches; laboratory equipment is used for this purpose, which is not actually intended for these purposes. As a result, more than 80 percent of biotechnological products consumed in Russia are imported, and the volume of consumption of biotechnological products in Russia remains disproportionately low compared to both developed and developing countries.

The third wave of the "green revolution"

Russia completely “slept through” the biotechnological revolution that is rapidly unfolding in the world. Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.G. Debabov, Director of the Institute of Genetics and Selection of Microorganisms, spoke about the third wave of the biotechnological revolution back in 2005. The first wave is medicines: insulin, growth hormone and other substances, the second is genetically engineered plants that are conquering the world, and the third is microbiology. In our country there is neither the first, nor the second, nor the third wave of this revolution.

The undisputed leader in the development of biotechnology is the USA. In 2001, a program was adopted there, according to which the Americans are going to transfer 25% of the chemical industry to plant raw materials by 2025. By 2030, the United States will receive 30% of the fuel for its cars using microbiological methods from plant raw materials (cereals, primarily soybeans and corn, and cellulose processing). Large-scale efforts to develop biotechnology are being undertaken in the EU; the likelihood that biomass will exceed 10% in Europe's energy balance by 2020 is very high. In recent decades, China, Brazil, and India have joined the scientific and technological race in the field of microbiology.

The importance of the “biorevolution” in science and technology cannot be overestimated. Ernst von Weizsäcker, a member of the Club of Rome and author of the book “Factor 5,” believes that only biotechnology will allow humanity to overcome the impasse of industrial growth, highlighted by the 2008 crisis. The new Kondratieff recovery cycle can only be “green” - or it will not happen.

Our country’s position in this area is now close to critical. 100% of feed amino acids for agriculture (lysine), up to 80% of feed enzyme preparations, 100% of enzymes for household chemicals, more than 50% of feed and veterinary antibiotics, 100% lactic acid, from 50 to 100% of biological food ingredients are imported. The products of the world's leading biotechnology companies have been represented on the Russian market for 20 years, but none of these companies have organized their production in Russia. The global biopharmaceuticals market was worth approximately US$161 billion in 2010 and is growing rapidly, expected to reach US$264 billion in 2015. Russia's share is $2.2 billion, and 80% of our drug market is filled with imports. Biopolymers, which, according to experts, will in the near future replace 90% of polymers produced chemically, are not produced in Russia at all. Biofuels too, although in the United States, amid the noise of controversy about the benefits of ethanol and biodiesels, 40 biofuel production plants were built and launched in 2009. Biological products for agriculture - enzymes for feed production, biological plant protection products and plant growth stimulants, silage starters, as well as veterinary drugs for livestock - are also mainly imported in the Russian Federation. Amino acids are imported (only the dirty production of methionine in Volzhsky has been preserved). There is no need to talk about genetic material for animal husbandry.

The basis for the development of the modern world is the triad of information technologies, nanotechnologies and biotechnologies. The Russian Federation is not very good with all three components, but especially with biotechnologies. If the negative trends existing today continue, Russia will find itself only a consumer in the global technology market and will be forced to spend huge resources on importing new industries. The scale of this technological import can be comparable to the import of industrial technologies in the 30s of the last century. By being delayed in the development and implementation of biotechnologies in a number of industries and markets, Russian industry risks finding itself behind the line of the modern technological structure that has been emerging in the world over the last 15-20 years.

Bio -2020

The Russian government began to take measures to overcome the current situation. To stimulate the development of pharmaceuticals, the Pharma 2020 program was adopted, which provides for measures to create the production of medicines in Russia and replace imports. Naturally, this is impossible without the development of microbiology at the highest scientific and technological level. On April 4, 2012, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin approved the draft State Coordination Program for the Development of Biotechnology in the Russian Federation for the period until 2020 - “BIO2020”. The strategic goal of the BIO2020 coordination program is to create in Russia a globally competitive, developed biotechnology sector, which, along with the nanoindustry and information technology industry, should become the basis for modernization and building a post-industrial economy. Financial support for the program is expected to come from the federal budget, regional and local budgets, as well as extra-budgetary funding. The target volume of resource support for the BIO2020 program, according to expert estimates, for the entire period of its implementation should be 1 trillion 178 billion rubles.

The strategic priorities in the BIO2020 program are the creation of conditions for the development of competitive large-scale production of enzymes, the biotechnological production of amino acids (currently, several lysine production plants are already being built in different regions of the Russian Federation), the organization of the production of glucose-fructose syrups, the production of antibiotic substances (once the USSR shared 1st-2nd place with the USA in terms of the volume of such production, now it does not exist in the Russian Federation), the creation of biotechnological complexes for the deep processing of woody biomass, the construction of plants for the deep processing of grain.

The latter is exactly what I am talking about as an idea for creating a modern food supply in Russia. “BIO2020” states: “The development of deep grain processing in Russia will make it possible to produce high-tech products, the demand for which on the world market is growing every year. Further deepening of processing towards the production of biotechnological products with high added value will help solve problems with grain sales markets: amino acids and feed are in demand in the Russian market, the need for environmental bioplastics is growing in Europe, and biochemical products, for example, biobutanol, are in demand in Asian markets. More than 10 projects for the construction of plants for advanced grain processing are at various stages of implementation.”

Feed protein is also a priority. “The set of measures will provide for the development of feed protein production in Russia and the creation of new scientific and technical foundations that improve the technologies of its production and types of use.”

Finally, almost word for word, the section of the program devoted to the biological components of feed and premixes coincides almost word for word with the thoughts formulated in my previous articles: “The current level of technology for feeding farm animals is based on the widespread use of biological components (enzymes, amino acids, BVK, probiotics and others). As a result of the development of livestock farming in Russia, which mainly relies on the import of technology and livestock, a large market for these biotechnology products has formed.

However, the formation of the market has not yet led to the development of the production and technological base, or the emergence of new products created on the basis of the scientific achievements of Russian scientists.

In 2010, 45 million tons of grain were used as feed in livestock farming, which indicates the extremely low efficiency of feed production in the country. The share of grain in mixed feed is 70% (in EU countries – 40-45%). In addition, more than half of the total amount of grain intended for feed was used unprocessed. It is important to note that the production of feed and premixes is largely carried out without the use of biological products (enzymes, veterinary and feed antibiotics, probiotics, and so on). With such feeding, the conversion of feed into livestock products significantly lags behind world indicators, which reduces the competitiveness of Russian livestock farming. A set of measures will create conditions for the development of the production and technological base of biotechnological components of feed and premixes.”

Advantages of the bottom

Despite the depressing state of biotechnology, it also has important advantages that Russia can use for a successful recovery. Firstly, we are at the bottom, but this is not the primeval bottom - we fell there. We have an idea of ​​the place that the USSR occupied in microbiology, there are personnel who created the Soviet microbiological project, there are scientific schools and ambitions for making a breakthrough, which underdeveloped and backward countries do not and cannot have.

Secondly, the Russian Federation has a unique resource base for the “green revolution”. We have a very large amount of low-grade feed grain, which, by and large, no one needs, and therefore is cheap. At the same time, there is no reason to expect that our agriculture will quickly be able to move to a higher level of production. In addition, Russia has a huge amount of waste raw materials - waste, which not only costs nothing, but requires costs for its destruction and burial. In 2010, the country’s agro-industrial complex “produced” 68 million tons of waste, of which only 18 million tons were destroyed and rendered harmless (28% – for comparison: in the EU, 64% of agricultural waste is recycled). The food industry creates 25 million tons of waste per year, less than half of which is recycled (11.4 million tons - 45%). Meanwhile, biotechnologies based on microbiology make it possible to completely abolish the concept of “waste” in relation to these industries - everything that goes to waste in the agriculture, forestry and food industries can be a useful raw material for microbiological production. For example, film for packaging and fiber for making threads, fabrics and clothing can be made from biodegradable polylactate, which is produced from lactic acid, in turn obtained by microbiological methods from grain waste - in the USA, straw is used for these purposes to collect and transport - This means we need roads, warehouses, etc. They believe that they will spend about $10 billion on this, but when everything starts working (around 2020), farmers will receive $20 billion in additional income annually, since they will sell not only the tops, but also the roots. Beneficial and good for the environment - a worn-out T-shirt thrown on a compost heap will turn into carbon dioxide and water within three months.

The availability of cheap, often free resources and the ability to quickly train qualified local personnel not only to work in microbiological factories, but also for scientific development in laboratories, give Russia the advantages of a “late start” - by starting now, subject to the investment of sufficient funds, we can immediately introduce the latest developments and get ahead of countries already burdened by a rapidly aging technological base.

“The level of development of technology and the technical base in Russia suggests that it is best for us to pay attention to the development of the scientific and technical component. These are, first of all, institutes, students, research laboratories and infrastructure that allows us to bring development from the molecule stage to the deepest possible stage,” says Gennady Shirshov, executive director of the Union of Professional Pharmaceutical Organizations. His words are fully applicable to agricultural microbiology. By combining the country's scientific and educational potential with production, it is still possible to become one of the leaders of the biotechnological revolution, as required by the BIO2020 program.

And, thank God, there is already a business in the country that is capable of understanding and implementing the tasks set in the program. “BIO2020” itself, in the context that interests us, was written by participants in the “Biotech 2030” technology platform, which unites, among other things, more than 50 commercial organizations. Among them are the Mikoyanovsky Meat Processing Plant, OJSC Biotechnology Corporation, OJSC Rosagrobioprom and others.

On September 18–19, the conference “Postgenomic Technologies” was held in Moscow, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of academician G.K. Scriabin. The event was organized by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Council on Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Federal Research Center “Fundamental Foundations of Biotechnology” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms named after. G.K. Scriabin RAS.

Academician V.A. Tutelyan, chief researcher at the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science "Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology" made a report on the topic "Modern biotechnology in food production: the problem of biosafety." V.A. Tutelyan reminded the audience that our country at one time stood at the origins of industrial biotechnology and was a world leader in this area. In the field of medicine, this direction was headed by Academician A.A. Pokrovsky, in the field of agriculture and livestock breeding - academician L.K. Ernst, in the field of production and creation of production facilities - academician V.A. Bykov. And academician G.K. Scriabin managed to combine all efforts and create a colossal breakthrough in the development of industrial biotechnology in the Soviet Union.

“At the Institute of Nutrition, where I have worked almost all my life, on the instructions of Academician Scriabin, a special laboratory was created, which united about 70 people,” said V.A. Tutelyan. “It was a very large-scale project, comparable, I’m not afraid to say, with a nuclear project, because more than 70 research institutes of all departments united to solve this problem, and Georgy Konstantinovich Scriabin led all this work.”

In the period from 1964 to 1990, there was intensive development of industrial biotechnology. There were 11 factories producing 1.5 million tons of feed protein. This provided 100% of the needs, primarily for poultry and livestock farming. The production of amino acids, vitamins, and other ingredients also met 100% of the needs of the Soviet Union. At the same time, safety issues have always been at the forefront, so all medical research institutes worked in this direction, including the Institute of Nutrition.

“Now it’s difficult to say how much research has been carried out,” said V.A. Tutelyan, - how many animals and people participated in the work to prove safety. One of them is me, when, as a graduate student, I happily walked from the institute building to the other side, where there was then a canteen (now it no longer exists), and for six months we were fed with products of microbiological synthesis, transformed through animals - chickens, pigs, etc. further. At the same time, we were studied in detail, biochemical and all other parameters were studied in order to prove absolute safety. So far, as you can see, he’s alive.”

Exercise with a rake. Third approach

But in the early 90s, according to the speaker, we stepped on the rake for the second time. The first time was in 1948, when genetics was declared a pseudoscience, the second time was in 1994, when its own biotechnology was destroyed. “What have we come to in the near future? - the academician recalled. - Feed protein was zero, and immediately the entire poultry industry fell, and we began to purchase “Bush legs.” The production of vitamins has completely stopped, and now we do not produce a single gram of our substances. This is a crime! There are no amino acids - we purchase them entirely from China and Japan. What is this? This is, first of all, parenteral nutrition, which is necessary during disasters and military conflicts - without this we simply cannot survive. All we have to do is cut off these supplies with sanctions or other measures, and we will be left without all these vital products.”

However, now, according to academician V.A. Tutelyan, we are living through the Renaissance. The RAS Commission on Genetic Engineering Activities was established. A legislative and regulatory framework has been formed, a number of laws have been adopted that make it possible to conduct research and try to catch up with foreign leaders. “The teams of authors who took an active part in the development of these laws are followers and students of G.K. Scriabin,” emphasized V.A. Tutelyan.

Many technologies today seem like science fiction. Thus, intensive research begins on the creation of GM animals, poultry, and fish with specified beneficial properties. The Institute of Gene Biology raises GM goats that produce human lactoferrin, and the Institute of Animal Husbandry creates animal hybrids that can prevent many human diseases. At the same time, the first place in importance is the biological assessment of the safety of GMO animals.

“There is a risk that by banning this kind of development, we will step on the same rake for the third time,” summed up V.A. Tutelyan. - Is it necessary to do this? We are actively working at the level of the State Duma, there are many sensible people there who understand that if we fall behind now, we will fall behind forever, and this will be a crime against the people. The development of modern agriculture, animal husbandry, and medicine without the use of biotechnology is futile. These are many steps backwards, and we shouldn’t take them.”

Eat to survive

Academician V.A. Bykov made a report on the topic “Metabolomics and lipidomics in post-genomic biotechnology.” Valery Alekseevich reminded the audience that biotechnology throughout the civilized world is a priority area of ​​scientific and technological progress, using biological objects and bioprocesses for targeted impact on the environment and obtaining products useful for humans, as well as ensuring quality control and assessing their safety.

“The basic indicators of quality of life include not only nutrition, but also air, water, and food, in general our health and habitat,” explained the academician. “Biotechnology is involved in the formation of the entire set of these problems aimed at improving the quality and duration of human life, increasing reproductive and labor potential.”

XXIThe century was marked by remarkable events related to the development of biotechnology. The last wave of the revolution here began in 2000, when President Clinton put forward an initiative to create nanotechnologies that involve manipulation at the atomic and molecular level.

But for us it all started in the 60s of the last century, when the question arose of how to develop in order to provide food for people? After all, humanity enters the 20th century with a population of about a billion, and into the 21st century - 7.5, although in fact it is somewhere around 8. At the same time, all the main resources of the globe have been preserved. “What does this say? - V.A. asked the question. Bykov. “The fact that we are standing on the threshold of a new technological structure, without which it will apparently not be possible to solve the problem of comfortable human existence.”

For clarity, the speaker presented a slide: if we take as a basis 500 kilograms of the weight of a cow, which produces approximately 500 grams of protein per day, then the same amount of yeast per day already produces 50 tons of microbial protein. This is an increase by orders of magnitude. That is why biotechnology, based on microorganisms as means of production, is an opportunity to transition to a new technological order for humanity.

We live in a sea of ​​microorganisms

Corresponding Member A.M. Boronin recalled how the Pushchino Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, today named after G.K., was born. Scriabin. The process was led by Academician Scriabin himself, and all employees had the brightest and most positive memories of him as a scientist, leader and person. The speaker recalled that as a scientist, academician Scriabin was primarily a microbiologist, and in this regard, his main merit is the development of microbiology in our country. “In this regard, I want to remind you that we literally live in an ocean of microorganisms,” said A.M. Boronin. - A myriad of microorganisms surround us, in water, in the seas, on land, in plants and animals. One hectare of soil contains up to 5 tons of microbial biomass. The total biomass of microorganisms on our planet exceeds the biomass of plants, insects, and animals combined.”

The biodiversity of microorganisms is enormous and amazing. Therefore, one of the tasks of microbiological science is to systematize this world. They tried to use different systems for this, but they all turned out to be not very convenient. In 1977, the work of Carl Woese appeared: he proposed a phylogenetic classification system based on comparison of ribosomes by comparing the structure of 16S rRNA, which in many respects can be considered as a kind of chronometer of evolution, including a living microorganism. This opened up opportunities for studying and systematizing the world of microorganisms and, in particular, the discovery of the super-kingdom of archaea, which live in a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from the depths of the sea to thermal springs. Using bioinformatics methods, lokiarchaea were discovered, in which a cytoskeleton and other signs of phagocytosis were discovered.

Further developments in technology have allowed these studies to be expanded, resulting in very recent significant changes in our understanding of the evolutionary tree.

“Probably, many more surprises await us, and some scientists say that it is possible that new domains will appear in the tree of life associated with the discovery of other organisms,” emphasized A.M. Boronin. “These studies provide food for attempts to understand the evolutionary processes that have occurred and are still occurring, often right before our eyes.”

Microbiology at the forefront of science

All this has not only enormous fundamental, but also applied benefits. One such example is the study of the causes of the emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms, against which the most modern antibiotics are powerless. This represents a huge medical problem that has not yet been addressed. It is microbiologists here who are at the forefront of work to decipher the mechanisms of these types of problems and find ways to overcome them.

Another example of the work of microbiologists is the well-known story of Helicobacter pylori, for the discovery of which the Nobel Prize was received in 2005. As a result of this work, it was shown that this microorganism is responsible for the occurrence of stomach ulcers in humans. Further studies confirmed this assumption and, moreover, showed that this bacterium is responsible not only for ulcers, but also for the development of stomach cancer. That is why today doctors recommend that almost all patients with gastrointestinal problems undergo an appropriate test: early detection of “hostile” bacteria can successfully prevent the most severe consequences.

But at the same time, the most recent studies have revealed that the presence Helicobacter pylori reduces the risk of asthma. And its absence leads to an increased risk of gastroesophageal reflux and adenocarcinoma. That is, we see the complexity of behavior and the diversity of properties of microorganisms.

Therefore, today the question is about further research of the human microbiome in order to clarify all its functions and determine the role of individual microorganisms that affect human life.

“We all know that microorganisms facilitate the digestion of food, secrete certain vitamins, and participate in the formation, development and maintenance of the immune system,” recalled A.M. Boronin. - To a certain extent, they are trying to protect us from diseases by fighting pathogens or through simple competition. This is a complex world, much older and perhaps more diverse than ours, and our task is to try to understand it in order to move, based on scientific evidence, to a new generation of probiotics that help stabilize the microbiome or correct it when it is out of balance under the influence of the same antibiotics. It is no secret that a large number of antibiotics used and their excessive use cause a number of serious disorders in the gastrointestinal tract. You can imagine the stress our microbiome is under and what the consequences could be. And the consequences can be the most severe. For example, one type of plastid may appear in the colon, which leads to a disease that can be fatal.”

According to the speaker, we underestimate the influence of the world of microorganisms on us. Recently, evidence has emerged that microbiology affects not only our physical health, but also behavior, the psyche, and even a person’s religiosity. Therefore, studying the biology of microorganisms is the key to understanding the nature of the global ecosystem, emphasized A.M. Boronin.

Those gathered also remembered G.K. Scriabin, his invaluable contribution to the development of domestic biological science, many years of service as the Chief Scientific Secretary of the Academy of Sciences, his amazing efficiency, friendliness and inexhaustible vital energy that he possessed. According to all those present, it was people like G.K. Scriabin, make the history of the country, increase its scientific and human heritage. According to the chairman of the conference, academician M.P. Kirpichnikova, G.K. Scriabin was not just an outstanding scientist, but also an outstanding citizen of his country. It is people like these who make their country truly great.

Natalia Leskova

At the beginning of 2019, a significant event for Russian science and medicine will take place in St. Petersburg: the next Future Biotech winter school will be held on January 26–30. This year's winter school speakers will be scientists from the world's leading scientific centers: Harvard, Yale, University College London and many others. The school will also be attended by eminent Russian scientists, active businessmen, heads of knowledge-intensive start-ups and students, graduate students and young researchers who are passionate about science. The key topic this year is inextricably linked with medicine and is dedicated to genome editing and gene therapy technologies.

Philosophy of the Future Biotech school

Thirdly, this is certainly unprecedented scientific content in its scope! At the lectures, you will be able to learn about the latest discoveries first-hand - directly from the scientists conducting the research - and discuss the hottest details with them.

Thus, the school is simultaneously the connecting link between scientific research and business, which is still underdeveloped in Russia, as well as a platform for developing professional networking and upgrading one’s knowledge.

This year the key topic of the school will be genome editing and gene therapy. Today, these technologies are the most promising and funded areas of world medicine and pharmaceuticals. In 2016, the market for gene therapy drugs was estimated at $584 million. And by 2023, according to analysts, global revenue from the sale of such drugs will exceed $4.4 billion - this is more than 30% growth annually!

Modern methods of genetic engineering, in combination with other approaches, are making a revolution before our eyes in the fight against previously incurable genetic, oncological and autoimmune diseases. Genetic engineering also comes to our aid in the fight against bacteria resistant to most known antibiotics, which threaten to become the leading cause of death in the world by 2050.

Two articles in our special project are devoted to the history and methods of genetic engineering “ 12 methods in pictures» . - Red.

Today, there are only a few drugs based on gene therapy on the world market; dozens are at various stages of clinical trials. According to the report Allied Market Research, the vast majority of gene therapy drugs are produced for patients with cancer pathologies. And in the near future - at least until 2023 - this niche will retain its primacy in the market. Following cancer drugs are gene therapies for rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders and infections.

The next decade will pass under the auspices of the introduction of new therapies aimed at treating aggressive types of cancer, genetic, neurodegenerative, autoimmune pathologies, as well as the introduction of new generation antibiotics into practice. And at this turning point, Russian science and industry need to make every effort to take its place in the global biopharmaceutical market, become an active participant in promising research and, thus, provide Russians with access to advanced medicine in the future. A step towards achieving this global goal should be the winter school Future Biotech 2019. For this, its organizers invited the world's leading scientists, whose work covers the most promising areas of biomedicine and biotechnology, to St. Petersburg. We will talk about these areas in the next chapter.

What breakthroughs in medicine await us?

A world in which there are almost no incurable diseases is no longer just a dream of science fiction writers: it is a world where gene therapy and genome editing methods have become the main weapons of medicine (Fig. 3). Already today, thanks to these approaches, significant progress has been achieved in the treatment of several previously incurable pathologies, which we will discuss further.

Gene therapy: towards a world without incurable diseases

To continue the story, let's refresh our memory on the terminology. Hereditary diseases caused by “breakages” in DNA are called genetic. If they are caused by a mutation in one single gene, they are usually called monogenic. Such diseases include, for example, phenylketonuria, Gaucher disease and sickle cell anemia. There are pathologies that are caused by a breakdown in several genes at once (they are called polygenic) or a defect in a significant part of the chromosome ( chromosomal illnesses). Polygenic diseases include some types of cancer, diabetes, schizophrenia, epilepsy, coronary heart disease and much more. The greatest success today has been achieved in the treatment of monogenic genetic diseases, since correcting a single gene is a methodologically simpler task than dealing with polygenic diseases or chromosomal abnormalities (however, everything is not hopeless here!). In the fight against genetic diseases, gene therapy and genome editing are the main tools of the future in the hands of a genetic engineer.

The concept of gene therapy is elegant and beautiful, like all ingenious things. It consists of delivering a healthy gene into a cell, which replaces its “defective” version. Most clinically tested and approved therapies use viral vector systems to deliver and integrate the healthy gene variant into cells (Figure 4). In the near future, scientists predict the development of non-viral systems for delivering genes into cells.

There are two main approaches: postnatal gene therapy (sometimes called somatic) and fetal gene therapy (otherwise known as prenatal or fetal gene therapy, which we recently wrote about in the article “ Fetal gene therapy: from theory to practice» ).

In the first case, genes are introduced into the somatic cells of the body, which improves the patient’s condition, but the edited genome is not passed on to descendants, since editing affects only individual cell populations without changing the genomes of gamete-producing cells. This method is justified for fighting, for example, cancer. In the second case, DNA is introduced into the embryo at an early stage of development, which makes it possible to edit all, most or a significant part of the fetal cells. With this approach, changes are inherited, since germ cells will also carry these changes. This approach is promising for combating the most severe hereditary pathologies.

The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved 16 drugs based on gene and cell therapy. These include treatments for aggressive cancers of the blood, prostate and a rare inherited form of retinal blindness.

Prenatal therapy has a number of advantages over postnatal, the biggest of which is assistance at an early stage of the development of the disease, when the pathological process has not yet gone far. Thanks to modern methods of prenatal diagnosis, it is possible to correct defective genes in the early stages of pregnancy, as early as 14–16 weeks. Correction of mutant genes in a developing fetus allows you to quickly increase the population of stem cells with a “healthy” gene variant, which means that the disease can be cured completely or, at least, its course can be significantly alleviated. Despite the bright prospects, scientists currently face a number of unsolved problems. Fetal gene therapy increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth due to the development of immune reactions in mother and child. In addition, it can lead to unexpected and sometimes catastrophic consequences already at the postnatal stage of development. The introduced gene can be nonspecifically integrated into any place in the genome and, thus, disrupt the functioning of other genes, causing a genetic or oncological disease. Another side effect of fetal gene therapy is mosaicism(a phenomenon in which some cells have a “corrected” gene, while the rest carry its “broken” version), which can lead to very unpredictable consequences in the future.

In terms of potential risks, it is clear that fetal gene therapy should only be used to treat severe genetic diseases for which there are no other correction options. Such pathologies include some rare genetic diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, fatal familial insomnia, phenylketonuria and fibrodysplasia. To treat them, gene therapy options are now being actively developed, some of which are in the final stages of clinical trials. Among the rarest genetic pathologies, of course, there is Gaucher disease - a neurodegenerative disease, the severe form of which is currently untreatable and is always fatal. Gaucher disease is the most common form among rare hereditary enzymopathies, that is, diseases associated with enzyme defects. Her example was the first to demonstrate the high effectiveness of fetal gene therapy in experiments on mice, and now scientists are preparing for trials on humans. This means that a future where children with the above-mentioned incurable genetic diseases can recover will come quite soon.

Gene therapy can be extremely effective in postnatal period, including for the treatment of adult patients. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has become another orphan(that is, a rare genetic) disease, the long-awaited hope for treatment of which was given by gene therapy. On December 23, 2016, the FDA registered the first medicine for SMIlies (as patients with this disease are affectionately called) - nusinersen(commercial name Spinraza). According to the results of clinical trials, motor skills improved in 51% of patients, and the risk of death and permanent ventilation was reduced compared to the control group.

Postnatal gene therapy is also extremely effective in the fight against cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death in countries with a high standard of living according to WHO (World Health Organization). Currently two drugs are approved: Yescarta And Kymriah, aimed at treating highly aggressive types of B-cell lymphoma using CAR-T technology. The essence of this technology is to artificially “tune” the patient’s immunity against tumor cells. T-lymphocytes are taken from the patient and in the laboratory, using a harmless viral vector, the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) gene is introduced into their genome, which allows the modified T-cells to recognize a specific antigen on the surface of malignant B-cells. The modified T lymphocytes are then reintroduced into the patient's blood. There they begin to attack their own B lymphocytes, destroying malignant defectors. However, with this therapy there is a high risk of developing autoimmune reactions. This is due to the fact that the antigens by which our warriors (modified T-lymphocytes) recognize “defectors” can sometimes be found on the surface of healthy cells. Researchers are actively working to solve this problem.

CAR-T based therapies are perhaps the most successful treatment option at the intersection of cell and gene therapies to date! This technology can achieve complete remission in approximately half of cases of treatment or prolong the life of patients in most other cases.

Gene therapy at Future Biotech

Technologies based on genome editing of the patient's own cells (CAR-T) and RNA interference, in addition to biological and bioethical limitations, have another serious problem: extreme high cost! For example, a full course of drug treatment Yescarta costs $350,000, and a year's worth of therapy, including weekly injections Patisiran, will cost the patient $450,000. Scientists and pharmaceutical companies will have to solve all these problems in the very near future.

CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The most accurate genome editing tool

Recently, the press has been constantly writing about the various successes of this approach, and for good reason: after all, the technology of genome editing using the CRISPR-Cas9 system is truly an epoch-making development (Fig. 5)!

There are so many articles on Biomolecule about the great and powerful CRISPR-Cas9 technology that we have dedicated an entire section to it! - Ed.

The problem of such a massive spread of resistance among bacteria has many reasons. The process of acquiring resistance is natural and inevitable, but the abuse of antibiotics, their improper disposal and mass release into the environment has accelerated this process so much that some infections cannot be treated even with complexes of new drugs. Therefore, the search for new antibiotics is a priority for modern science.

The most common target of all known antibiotics is the bacterial protein synthesis apparatus. The translation apparatus of prokaryotes differs from ours, which allows us to use specific inhibitors of protein synthesis in bacteria without harming our body’s own cells. Due to the massive distribution of resistance genes in bacteria, scientists are actively studying their protein synthesizing apparatus and looking for new targets and translation inhibitors. On

Dear colleagues!

Below is information about past events:

1. Round table “Pilot project for the development of technological

entrepreneurship in the field of biotechnology"

2. Scientific and business game “Startup-Biotech”

Dear conference participants!

Photos posted on the site:

27.07.2017

Dear colleagues!

Thank you for participating in the Conference!

We express our gratitude to the listeners!

Special thanks for the organizational, financial and technical support!

A little later, conference materials and a short photo report will be posted.

• YOU CAN DOWNLOAD A COLLECTION OF CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS.
• YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM.

PRESS and MEDIA:

• Report from the opening of the conference on the website of the Science in Siberia publication (SB RAS) (Photos of speakers)

We will be glad to see you at the next event “Biotechnology - Medicine of the Future”!

Organizing Committee

NB!

July 25, 2017

Dear Participants of the section "DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE FIELD OF BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY"!

Plan of events at the NSU site:

1. Youth section "Biomedical technologies: startup" will be held from 9:00-10:30 in the “old Main building” of NSU (Pirogova, 2) on the 3rd floor in room. 317-a (Meeting room of the Academic Council)
2. Coffee break 10:30-11:00
3. Round table “Pilot project for the development of technological entrepreneurship in the field of biotechnology” will be held from 11:00-13:00 in the “old Main building” of NSU (Pirogov, 2) on the 3rd floor in room. 317-a (Meeting room of the Academic Council)
4. Lunch break 13:00-14:00
5. Scientific and business game "Startup-Biotech" will be held from 14:00-19:00 in the NEW building of NSU (Pirogova, 1), entrance 1 - on the left, room 4105.

Sincerely,

Organizing Committee

Dear Conference Participants and Guests!

You can familiarize yourself with the Conference and July 24-26 at the Academy Park.

You can familiarize yourself with the program of the section “DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE FIELD OF BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES.” We invite you to participate in the Scientific and Business Game “Startup-Biotech” ().

The event is available for download.

Dear colleagues!

WITH July 24 to 26, 2017. an all-Russian conference with international participation will be held in the Novosibirsk Academic Town" " (originally “Molecular medicine - tomorrow”).

Within the framework of the conference " Biotechnology - medicine of the future“It is planned to discuss fundamental scientific and scientific-practical issues related to the design of smart materials for medicine - biological molecules, molecular devices, modified microorganisms and cells, as well as the creation of new approaches to personalized and regenerative medicine. The conference will include a section for young scientists" Biomedical technologies: startup".