Published on: 2026-07-03
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
At the site of the new campus of Novosibirsk State University, the 5th school-conference of young scientists “Application of Synchrotron Radiation for Solving Biological Problems” has opened, gathering about one hundred participants from leading scientific centers of Russia and Belarus. For four days, graduate students, students, and young researchers master methods of structural biology and X-ray research necessary for working on large facilities, including the Siberian Circular Photon Source (SKIF) being created in the Novosibirsk region. The school is held with the participation of the Federal Budgetary Institution of Science State Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector” of Rospotrebnadzor and SKIF specialists within the framework of the FNTP project for the development of synchrotron and neutron research until 2030.
Speaking at the opening of the school, the rector of NSUDmitry Pyshnyemphasized that the development of structural biology and related technologies is critical for pharmacology and medicine. According to him, the launch of SKIF will be a landmark event for the country, “raising structural biology to a level previously unreachable and, I think, ultimately also pharmacology.” He reminded that despite the emergence of platforms like AlphaFold, based on artificial intelligence, the study of complex molecular objects still requires experiments at synchrotrons, especially when it comes to unstructured protein fragments that perform important regulatory functions.
Director General of the Federal Budgetary Institution of Science State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology ‘Vector’ of RospotrebnadzorAlexander Agafonovhe connected the work of the school with the objectives of biological safety. He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic and outbreaks of other dangerous infections, including Ebola fever and monkeypox, vividly demonstrated how quickly biological threats change the economy and everyday life.
—It seems to me that this school can truly advance structural biology and virology in such a way that we can clearly, calmly, and systematically counter the biological threats that are arising before us,— he said.
According to Agafonov, it is precisely the students of this and similar schools who will use research facilities on synchrotrons in the future for rapid target identification and the development of drugs against new viruses.
The chairman of the school’s program committee, Candidate of Chemical Sciences Sergey Arkhipov, noted that the main audience of the event is young scientists in the field of biology; there are also participants with backgrounds in chemistry, physics, and medicine. The geography of participants traditionally extends beyond Novosibirsk and includes Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Tomsk, Nizhny Novgorod, as well as international colleagues, primarily from Belarus this year.
—In total, more than a dozen, closer to twenty organizations of biological, chemical, and medical profiles,— said Sergey Arkhipov.
In recent years, the school has been held entirely in an in-person format: all lectures and practical sessions are organized offline to ensure live interaction during lectures and practical classes.
The training program is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the possibilities of synchrotron radiation in biology — from setting up scientific research to processing primary experimental data obtained at various synchrotron radiation stations. As part of the school program, the types of tasks for which the use of synchrotrons is most justified are discussed, and the given examples show how these methods have influenced the development of structural biology over the past decades, including through a series of Nobel Prizes.
—In the lectures, we talk about the methods, about the possibilities of these methods, and about the requirements imposed on samples, so that it is clear how to prepare for conducting the experiment., — explained Sergey Arkhipov. —As part of the practical sessions, participants undergo an intensive introductory course on data processing. Our goal is to provide young scientists with the necessary foundation for independent progress and to teach them to recognize in time the tasks for which they need to seek help from more experienced colleagues.
The school lasts four days: the first three are dedicated to lectures and practice, and on the final day, oral presentations by young scientists will take place. Some of the reports are devoted to planned research using synchrotron radiation, but a significant portion is already based on completed work using X-ray methods.
The organizers emphasize that the school’s program is noticeably updated from year to year, and within it, two main tracks have effectively formed, so some participants come a second time to attend a different block. Over five years, several hundred people have already gone through the school, a significant portion of whom, according to Arkhipov, understand how to apply for and obtain time to conduct their own experiments at centers such as the CKP “SKIF”, the Kurchatov synchrotron, and foreign facilities.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.