Ural Federal University: University Uses Methods That Won Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022
Scientists at Ural Federal University use innovative methods of organic synthesis that greatly simplify and make more efficient the creation of new compounds, including new drugs. Two American and one Danish scientist were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2022 for their contribution to the development of these methods, but the methods themselves have been known since the beginning of the century and are being actively implemented by scientists at UrFU. The second part of the Nobel Prize was awarded for performing these reactions in living systems to visualize intracellular processes.
Ural Federal University researchers used these methods to develop many promising compounds, including chemosensors for determining the acidity of saliva. Timofey Moseev, Associate Professor at the Scientific, Educational and Innovation Center for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technologies at UrFU, told this story on the air of Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda.
“It is known that saliva is the beginning of the digestive system, any change in the body, especially in the gastrointestinal tract, is reflected in the level of acidity of saliva. This is one of the key indicators, changes in which in the early stages can identify the problem. If we talk about the methods that won the Nobel Prize, we used fluorescence spectroscopy. First, our joint research team from the Department of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry at the Center for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technologies created an organic molecule using “green methods,” which significantly reduce the number of side reactions. Secondly, we use the molecule to determine the pH of saliva; at different levels of acidity, the sensor has different emission intensities. This is an accessible and non-invasive method of detecting preconditions for gastritis, ulcers, and duodenitis,” explains Timofey Moseev.
As the scientist notes, it is the bioimaging of intracellular mechanisms that is the most pressing topic in the scientific world. It can also help to improve the mechanism of action of drugs so that they act more selectively. For example, the method of fluorescence microscopy shows that when an organic molecule is introduced into a cell, it accumulates in certain organelles and highlights the intracellular processes of healthy and sick cells. Understanding how cells work will make it much easier to create drugs and treatments in the future.