Major scientific breakthrough

A team of scientists led by A.N. Poltorak, head of the laboratory of molecular genetics of innate immunity at the Institute of High Biomedical Technologies of PetrSU, professor at Tufts University, for the first time in the world deciphered an important missing link (protein cFLIP-L), which acts as a “switch” at the level of which cells make decisions about their future fate.
Inflammation is the most important way to protect against infection, however, if it cannot be eliminated, the infected cells trigger the mechanisms of “suicide”, thereby killing both the pathogen and themselves, which can lead to the development of various pathological conditions. For a long time, researchers eluded a number of key links in these mechanisms, it was not clear how cells choose between inflammation and death,

– said Alexander Poltorak.

In addition, the scientists proposed an alternative to the TNFR1-dependent model of assembly of the pro-apoptotic complex in the cell. These works are a major scientific breakthrough in fundamental immunology, seriously changing the understanding of the implementation of the body’s immune response in response to a pathogen and forming the basis for the development of methods for the treatment of life-threatening complications in infectious, autoimmune and oncological diseases.

The results of scientific research have been published in two of the highest-rated journals of our time, Science and Nature Communication.

In the very near future, this fact will be included in all basic textbooks on immunology.

Congratulations to the laboratory staff on a tremendous success!

The laboratory of molecular genetics of innate immunity was organized in 2011 in order to carry out work under a grant from the Government of the Russian Federation under Resolution No. 220 “On measures to attract leading scientists to Russian educational institutions of higher education, scientific institutions subordinate to the federal agency of scientific organizations, Federation within the framework of the subprogram “Institutional development of the research sector” of the state program of the Russian Federation “Development of science and technology” under contract No. 11.G34.31.0052 dated October 19, 2011, subject to Supplementary Agreement No. 1 dated February 3, 2014 between the Ministry education and science of the Russian Federation, the leading scientist A.N. Poltorak and the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Petrozavodsk State University “.