Published on: 2026-05-04
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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At Novosibirsk State University, a scientific-practical conference “High-tech Diagnostics as the Basis of Scientific Research” was held, where it was demonstrated how computed tomography and artificial intelligence help in the field of binary medical technologies and the search for new approaches to the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Head of the Laboratory of Nuclear and Innovative MedicinePhysical Faculty of NSU, Ph.D.Vladimir KanyginIt should be noted that highly technical methods have long been part of scientific practice, but it is precisely interdisciplinary studies that today have the greatest effect. According to him, the tomographic equipment of the NGU is actively used not only in biology and medicine, but also in archeology:
—The use of tomography in archaeological practice has unexpectedly shown quite high results, which represent a certain interest.
For example, scientists scan ancient skulls without damaging the artifacts and obtain three-dimensional models for reconstructions.
A distinct focus of the conference is binary technologies, primarily applied in oncotherapy. Binary technology in medicine implies the combination of two relatively safe factors (a drug and physical exposure), which together provide a powerful therapeutic effect. An example is boron neutron capture therapy: initially, tumor cells accumulate boron nanoparticles, then the tumor is irradiated with neutrons, and as a result of the localized nuclear reaction, the cancer cells are destroyed, while the surrounding tissues are less damaged.The healing principle lies also at the core of photodynamic therapy, as well as in other combined methods.
—All these works fit into both the field of neutron-based radiation therapy and a number of other binary technologies that are fundamental in our work, — emphasized Vladimir Kanygin.
The NGU laboratory, according to its words, already widely uses drugs based on boron and gadolinium, and also plans to develop products using compounds of bismuth, lithium, and other elements. An important feature of NGU’s strategy, he called the transition from classical laboratory models to working with spontaneous tumors in domestic animals: cooperation with veterinary clinics allows approaching the experiment to a real clinical situation and testing binary methods in conditions closer to human medicine.
At the conference, there were also reports on the application of artificial intelligence in early CT diagnostics of various diseases, including neurodegenerative ones. Doctor of Biological Sciences, head of the laboratory of molecular mechanisms of pathological processes at the FIC of Fundamental and Translational MedicineElena Koldyshevatold about a joint project with the NGU Laboratory of Nuclear and Innovative Medicine.
—We are currently developing a new algorithm for diagnosing neurodegenerative changes in the brain using computer tomography and artificial intelligence. It is about a deep learning algorithm that is expected to help doctors more accurately and early detect pathological changes., — she noted.
At the current stage, the project team is creating a training dataset from laboratory animals. Histologists manually annotate numerous brain slice scans: separately marking amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, normal and damaged neurons.
—Creating a dataset is very tedious and difficult work for histologists. We need not dozens or hundreds, but thousands of images that we have to label manually, and train based on them,— explainedElena Koldysheva.
After this stage on animals, researchers plan to search for a corresponding human data set and “overlay one on the other” to adapt the algorithm to human material.
According to Vladimir Kanygin, an important role in the selection of reports was played by the personnel aspect: in most teams, current employees, graduates, and current master’s students of the NSU mainly participate.in the field of “Medical Physics”. This, as he notes, confirms that the university has long held the status of a “forge of scientific personnel” in the field of nuclear medicine, highly technological diagnostics, and binary technologies. Taken together, the conference reports demonstrated that NSU is not only mastering advanced CT and MRI methods but also forming a strong interdisciplinary school around them, capable of working at the intersection of physics, biology, medicine, and even archaeology.
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