Scientists from the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS (IBCh RAS) with the participation of colleagues from the Institute of Human Morphology of RAMS and the Pirogov RSMU found that the enzyme phospholipase A2 from the Vipera nikolskii venom is able to adhere to lipid membranes (prototypes of cell membranes) and cause their aggregation, even if the activity of enzyme is specifically blocked. It turned out that this is due to the presence of two binding sites in the enzyme structure. Published in the journal Toxicon the results of the work help to understand how the multicomponent snakes’ venoms work.

From 7 to 11 May the fourth international conference on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR 2017) was held on the island of Crete (Greece) in which scientists from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS took part. Together with other leading experts in the field of neurobiology associated with cholinergic transmission, they discussed the genetic, molecular, structural and cellular aspects of research and told what key trends in the development of this scientific area are actively supported now.

Researcher from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences together with their colleagues have developed a method for stimulating neurons with infrared radiation. They implemented in mice neurons snake proteins that react to temperature – thermoreceptors. Published in Nature Communications journal results will help non-invasive stimulate neural networks in the deep layers of tissues in the body, as well as control the activity of other types of cells in living systems. In the future, it can help in the therapy of various nervous system diseases.

Researchers from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS together with their colleagues have isolated the analgesic peptides Ms9a-1 and Ueq 12-1 from sea anemones, one of the most ancient predators on the planet. The ability of these substances to selectively enhance the activity of TRPA1 receptor opens up new opportunities for basic research and serves as a basis for the painkillers  and anti-inflammatory drugs development. The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, and the results were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Toxins.

Researchers at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBCh RAS), the Institute of Biophysics of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center SB RAS (IBP SB RAS) and the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, together with colleagues from Brazil and Japan, have drawn even closer to finally unveiling the secret of the mechanism that mushrooms use to glow. They successfully determined the structure of the molecule of oxyluciferin, a product of the luminescence reaction, from fungi (in this case, mushrooms were used), and also synthesized several artificial replicas of luciferin, which emit light of different colors. This groundbreaking work was funded by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, RSF, and the results published in the journal Science Advances.

On 5-9 April 2017, Russian-German symposium entitled ‘Molecular Neurobiology Today and Tomorrow’ dedicated to the memory of Academician Eugene Grishin took place at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences. More than 30 leading scientists from Russia and Germany, specialists in neurobiology and neurochemistry, gathered at the Institute to honor the memory of Eugene Grishin and discuss the most pressing scientific issues, to which the academician had devoted his scientific career.

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (IBCh) visited by a delegation of foreign mass media representatives within the press tour "Russian Science Week", organized by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the "Communication Laboratory" project of the Russian Venture Company. The foreign journalists meeting from world-known mass media with the leading young specialists from IBCh held at February 28, 2017.

Researchers at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with colleagues from the A.N. Belozersky Institute Of Physico-Chemical Biology of the  Lomonosov Moscow State University and the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have proposed a new mechanism for the dynamic self-organization of spatial structures in embryogenesis. Using mathematical modeling methods, the researchers have demonstrated that this self-organization may be due to a significant difference in the diffusion of morphogen proteins, which occurs due to differently binding morphogens in the extracellular matrix. The results of this monumental research, which were published in the PLOS ONE Journal, create the preconditions for the development of other models that describe the appearance of the variety of forms in the early stages of development of an organism. 

Researchers at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences have collaborated with colleagues from other research institutions and created a microfluidic system for ultra-high-performance screening in double emulsion droplets. This breakthrough development can be used when studying the unique properties of singular living cells, and is 30 thousand times more productive that robotic workstations. At the same time, it greatly simplifies the work of researchers involved in determining the functionality of biological objects for the creation of medicinal products on their basis. The results of this research were published in the PNAS journal.

Reports form the section "Signaling ion channels from the spatial structure of physiological mechanisms" organized by Prof. V. Tsetlin made during the Forum, integrated  V Congress of the Russian biochemists and V Congress of Physiologists in Dagomys (4-8 October 2016), were published on the page of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in the channel YouTube. Videos of the lectures in English languages were published here.