The results of the Russian Science Foundation mega-grant competition for fundamental scientific research and exploratory scientific research under the supervision of leading foreign scientists have been announced. 230 projects from 127 scientific organizations located in 35 Russian Regions applied for RSF support. The projects submitted for the competition are being conducted under the supervision of leading scientists with citizenship in 40 countries including China, India, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the USA, Italy, and France.
14 projects were winners and for 5 years they will receive from 20 to 50 million rubles annually. If necessary, it is planned to extend the grant support for another three years. Among the winners is a project submitted by scientists from the NSU Laboratory of Nonlinear Optics of Waveguide Systems, "The Kerr Self-Cleaning Effect of Multimode Beams in Specialized Fiber Light Guides and Its Application for Biomedicine". This Laboratory was created in May 2017 as a result of the victory of the "Spatio-temporal nonlinear optics of multimode and multi-core fiber systems" project in the fifth competition of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia for state support for scientific research conducted under the supervision of leading scientists. The Laboratory Head, Stefan Wabnitz, is a recognized world expert in the theory of surface waves as well as an expert in nonlinear effects in fiber-optic communication systems. For more than 30 years his research activity took place in leading academic and industrial institutions in Europe and the USA.
Laboratory Senior Researcher Denis Kharenko explained,
Our project is aimed at creating an innovative endoscopic device that combines the technologies of "optical biopsy" and low-temperature plasma therapy. Its goal is to develop a unified system that provides the ability to both diagnose and treat gastrointestinal tract diseases, including oncological diseases, in real time. This will eliminate the need for lengthy histopathology and increase the accuracy of examinations. This device will combine two functions at once, diagnostics (using machine learning) and therapy (laser/plasma), thus minimizing damage to healthy tissues.
The project includes several stages. First, scientists will have to design and test multimode fibers and lasers with a high repetition rate for the endoscopic system. The next step will be to test the device on biological samples, including organoids created in laboratory conditions and tissues affected by cancer.
