Marine polychaete worm Chaetopterus variopedatus bioluminescence mechanism investigations date back several decades. Researchers from the Laboratory of Chemistry of Metabolic Pathways, the Laboratory of Biomolecular NMR-Spectroscopy and other subdivisions of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, in collaboration with scientists from the Laboratory of Photobiology of the IBP SB RAS, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Pacific State Medical University, and Yeshiva University (USA) have established the structures of three substrates of the Chaetopterus luciferase bioluminescence reaction. The work was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Calcium-selective oncochannel TRPV6 is the major driver of cell proliferation in human body and its overexpression was found in some of the most severe human cancers, including leukemia, breast, prostate, colon, ovarian, thyroid, and endometrial cancers. While significant effort has been invested in the development of synthetic TRPV6 inhibitors, natural channel blockers have been largely neglected despite of their pharmacological value.

A number of purine arabinosides containing chiral amino acid amides at the C6 position of the purine were synthesized using a transglycosylation reaction with recombinant E. coli nucleoside phosphorylases.

Carriers providing active targeted delivery of anticancer drugs to tumor cells are promising for cancer chemotherapy. A team of scientists from the Laboratory of protein engineering and the Laboratory of Biomedical Materials IBCh RAS in collaboration with collegues from other Russian Institutes have developed biodegradable polyelectrolyte microcapsules which have been modified with the DR5-B ligand.

Human InsR, IGF1R, and IRR receptor tyrosine kinases of the insulin receptor subfamily play an important role in signaling pathways for a wide range of physiological processes. Sharing high sequence and structure homology, the receptors differ dramatically in their localization, expression, and functions. A team of scientists from IBСH RAS in cooperation with colleagues from other institutions using the high-peroscopy of high resolution and computer modeling established that the conformational variability of transmembrane domains and their interaction with surrounding lipids differ significantly among representatives of the subfamily.

A group of scientists from the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics and the Laboratory of Carbohydrates of the IBH RAS in collaboration with colleagues from the A.V. Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Hamburg) has developed a new approach to the study of the structure of nanoparticles, combining the methods of SAXS and molecular dynamics.

A collaboration of scientists from the Science-Educational center of the IBCh RAS and the Center for Pathophysiology, Infectology and Immunology of the Medical University of Vienna proved that the main allergens from the pollen from trees of the order Fagales, including alder Aln g 1, have the ability to cause Bet v 1-independent sensitization of the immune system in patients living in birch-dominated areas.

The extreme aggressiveness and lethality of many cancer types appeal to the problem of the development of new-generation treatment strategies based on smart materials. The targeted delivery of nanoparticles to specific cancer cell receptors is believed to be such a strategy; however, there are no targeted nano-drugs that have successfully completed clinical trials to date. To meet the challenge, the team of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology of the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Laboratory for Biochemical Research of Carcinogenesis of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and the Department of Nanobiomedicine of the Sirius University, have developed an alternative method of oncotherapy.

Plants utilize small secreted peptides as important mediators of many processes, from growth and development to response to stress conditions. One of such regulators is the conservative 5 kDa cysteine-rich RALF (Rapid Alkalinization Factor) peptide family, which is widely present in terrestrial plants. RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR (RALFs) are peptides that regulate multiple physiological processes in plants. This peptide family has considerably expanded during land plant evolution, but the role of ancient RALFs in modulating stress responses is unknown

Employing antibody fragments instead of full-length antibodies in antibody-drug conjugates can facilitate accumulation of the therapeutics in the tumor and reduce their side effects. Scientists from the Laboratory of molecular immunology together with colleagues from the Laboratory of cell interactions, the Laboratory of molecular diagnostics at IBCh RAS, and other Russian Institutes have for the first time developed GD2-specific antibody fragment-drug conjugates. Minibody and scFv fragment conjugates with the tubulin-inhibiting drugs MMAE and MMAF manifested strong cytotoxic and cytostatic effects in GD2-positive neuroblastoma and melanoma cell lines.