Laboratory of Optics and Dynamics of Biological Systems

The laboratory conducts research in the field of biophotonics, which involves the interaction of electromagnetic radiation (primarily in the optical range) with biological objects. We strive to understand biological processes based on predictive physical descriptions. This enables the development of methods for characterizing and effectively managing systems, including applications in medical diagnostics and interventions. The laboratory is developing methods for using photoswitchable molecules to generate bio-specific compounds and activate cellular responses with high spatial and temporal precision.

Current Research Directions

1. Platelet Activation Studies Investigating platelet activation in response to various stimuli is a key area of research in hemostasis and vascular biology. We develop and apply photolabile ("caged") compounds to study the dynamics of cellular reactions. - One example is the study of platelet activation. To analyze this process in detail under laboratory conditions, it is necessary to trigger activation with high temporal and spatial precision. We have developed a technology for initiating platelet activation using optical pulses and photolabile activation agonists.
- Another example is improving the properties of drugs for treating coronavirus infections using photolabile groups that facilitate drug penetration into cells. We employ mathematical modeling to gain deeper insights into biological processes, ranging from cytoskeletal mechanics to light scattering by cells. Additionally, we are developing photoactivatable nitric oxide donors, which have potential applications in medicine, such as treating diabetes-related complications. However, since nitric oxide is a common mediator in biology, our developments can be applied in many areas of scientific research.
2. Development of Optical Monitoring Devices The laboratory has developed several modifications of a device capable of tracking dynamic changes in various systems (including cellular systems) based on light scattering variations (Litunenko, 2023). The device has been tested on a range of cell models, including *E. coli*, HEK293, and NALM cells. Preliminary results have been presented at conferences such as BGRS/SB-2024 (Novosibirsk, Russia), ALT'24 (Vladivostok, Russia), and the "Nasha Laba" project (2024, Moscow, Russia).

Head of Laboratory: Alexander Moskalensky, PhD in Physics

Cytometry and biokinetics laboratory
Department of Physics

Department of N atural S ciences

Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, UK

Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Contacts

Website

Mikhail A. Panfilov, Ezhena S. Starodubtseva, Tatyana Yu. Karogodina, Alexey Yu. Vorob’ev and Alexander E. Moskalensky, Reducing the Formation of Toxic Byproducts During the Photochemical Release of Epinephrine, Journal of Xenobiotics, 15(1), 8 (2024) https://doi.org/10.3390/jox15010008
Natalia A. Virts, Tatyana Yu. Karogodina, Mikhail A. Panfilov, Alexey Yu. Vorob'ev, Alexander E. Moskalensky, Prototype of Implant for Nitric Oxide Release Controlled by Infrared Radiation in Therapeutic Window, Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, e202400455 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.202400455
Ezhena S Starodubtseva, Tatyana Yu Karogodina, Mikhail A Panfilov, Dmitriy G Sheven, Olga Yu Selyutina, Alexey Yu Vorob'ev, Alexander E Moskalensky, Adrenochrome formation during photochemical decomposition of "caged" epinephrine derivatives, Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 23(12):2265-2268 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1007/s43630-024-00665-9
Starodubtseva ES, Karogodina TY, Moskalensky AE. Platelet activation near point-like source of agonist: Experimental insights and computational model. PLoS One. 2024 Oct 3;19(10):e0308679. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308679. PMID: 39361659; PMCID: PMC11449293.
Natalia A. Virts, Tatyana Yu. Karogodina, Mikhail A. Panfilov, Alexey Yu. Vorob’ev, Alexander E. Moskalensky, Nitric Oxide Photorelease from Silicone Films Doped with N-Nitroso BODIPY, Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 15(4), 92 (2024) https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb15040092
Mikhail A. Panfilov, Tatyana Yu. Karogodina, Anastasiya A. Sibiryakova, Irina S. Tretyakova, Alexey Yu. Vorob'ev, Alexander E. Moskalensky, Meso-Aminomethyl-BODIPY as a Scaffold for Nitric Oxide Photo-Releasers, ChemistrySelect, 8, e202302681 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202302681
Darya N. Litunenko, Alexander E. Moskalensky, Wireless monitoring of cell cultures based on light scattering: A novel optical scheme and portable prototype, Journal of Biophotonics, e202300234 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.202300234
Zhermolenko E.O., Karogodina T.Yu., Vorobev A.Yu., Panfilov M.A., Moskalensky A.E., Photocontrolled release of nitric oxide for precise management of NO concentration in a solution, Materials Today Chemistry, 29, 101445 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2023.101445
Darya N. Litunenko, Tatyana Yu. Karogodina, Alexey Yu. Vorob’ev, Alexander E. Moskalensky. Novel UV-Releaser of Arachidonic Acid Based on Nitrophenyl-type Photoremovable Protecting Group, Journal of Biomedical Photonics & Engineering 8, 3, #3498 (2022). https://doi.org/10.18287/JBPE22.08.030305
Mikhail A.Panfilov, Tatyana Yu.Karogodina, YaoSongyin, Oleg Yu.Karmatskih, Alexey Yu.Vorob'ev, Irina S.Tretyakova, Evgeni M.Glebov, Alexander E.Moskalensky, Photophysical properties of BODIPYs with sterically-hindered nitrophenyls in meso-position, Journal of Luminescence 246, 118837 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2022.118837
Zobnina, A., Moskalensky, A., Vorob’ev, A. , 8-[4-(2-Hydroxypropane-2-yl)Phenyl]-1,3,4,4,5,7-Hexamethyl-4-Boron-3a,4a-Diaza-S-Indacene, Molbank M1286 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/M1286
Mikhail Panfilov, Darya Chernova, Irina Khalfina, Alexander Moskalensky, Aleksey Vorob’ev, Design and Synthesis of New Acridone-Based Nitric Oxide Fluorescent Probe, Molecules 26(14), 4340 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26144340
Alexander E Moskalensky, Tatyana Yu Karogodina, Alexey Yu Vorobev, Sergei G Sokolovski, Singlet oxygen luminescence detector based on low-cost InGaAs avalanche photodiode, HardwareX (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ohx.2021.e00224
Dranova, T.Y., Vorobev, A.Y., Pisarev, E.V., Moskalensky, A.E., Diaminorhodamine and Light-Activatable NO Donors: Photorelease Quantification and Potential Pitfalls, Journal of Fluorescence (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-020-02643-7
Darya V. Spiryova, Alexei Yu. Vorobev, Vadim V. Klimontov, Elena A. Koroleva, and Alexander E. Moskalensky, Optical uncaging of ADP reveals the early calcium dynamics in single, freely moving platelets, Biomedical Optics Express 11:6, pp. 3319-3330 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1364/BOE.392745
Vorobev A. Yu and Moskalensky A.E., Long-wavelength photoremovable protecting groups: On the way to in vivo application, Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal 18: 27-34 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2019.11.007
Vorob'ev A. Yu, Dranova T. Yu and Moskalensky A.E., Photolysis of dimethoxynitrobenzyl-“caged” acids yields fluorescent products, Scientific Reports 9(1):13421 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49845-z
A.E. Moskalensky, A.L. Litvinenko, The platelet shape change: biophysical basis and physiological consequences, Platelets. 30:5, pp. 543-548. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537104.2018.1514109
A.E. Moskalensky, M.A. Yurkin, A.R. Mulyukov, A.L. Litvinenko, V.M. Nekrasov, A.V. Chernyshev, V.P. Maltsev, Method for the simulation of blood platelet shape and its evolution during activation, PLoS Computational Biology. 14(3):e1005899. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005899

Ph.D. (Physics and Mathematics) Alexander Moskalenksy

Alexander Moskalenksy is a specialist in biophotonics and holds a degree in biophysics. Since 2016, he has led the Laboratory of Optics and Dynamics of Biological Systems at Novosibirsk State University (NSU). His research includes application of photolabile compounds to study biological processes, for example, photoinduced platelet activation. Alexander has led several projects funded by the Russian Science Foundation. He has extensive experience in experimental biophysics and in developing optical instruments. Dr. Moskalenksy has participated in international academic mobility programs such as the Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme and Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility, as well as international conferences in Europe, the U.S., China, and other countries. He has also served as a research advisor to several undergraduate and graduate students in the NSU Faculty of Physics.

Mariia Naumenko, Junior Researcher

Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Optics and Dynamics of Biological Systems at Novosibirsk State University (NSU), graduated with a Specialist degree from the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Novosibirsk State University (NSU) in 2019. She has worked in the field of biomedicine at the University of Bern and Inselspital Hospital in Bern, Switzerland. She conducted research combining immunology and mass spectrometry at ETH Zurich and completed an internship on cancer metabolism research using mass spectrometry methods at EMBL Heidelberg (Germany). She has experience working with a wide range of cell cultures, including bacterial, cancer, and immune cells. While completing her specialist diploma at NSU, she characterized a novel DNA glycosylase (at ICBFM SB RAS). She participated in international scientific conferences such as the SCS Fall Meeting 2020 (Switzerland), Immuno-UK 2021 (London, UK), ASMS 2019 (Atlanta, Georgia, USA), BGRS/SB-2024 (Novosibirsk, Russia), and ALT’24 (Vladivostok, Russia). In 2024, she participated in the “Nasha Laba” project in Moscow, Russia, where she took part in presenting an optical device (nephelometer) developed at the NSU Laboratory of Optics and Dynamics of Biological Systems. She is a recipient of the Swiss Mass Spectrometry Society award (2022, SGMS, ETH Zurich) and took part in the helpfulETH project aimed at effectively addressing problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ezhena Starodubtseva

E. S. Starodubtseva is a student at the Faculty of Physics, Novosibirsk State University (NSU), conducting her master’s thesis titled "Investigation of Platelet Activation under the Influence of Combined Stimuli" under the supervision of A.E. Moskalenko in the the Laboratory of Optics and Dynamics of Biological Systems. She is a participant in projects at A.E. Moskalenko's laboratory, including the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) project 18-15-00049 (successfully completed in 2022) and RSF project 23-75-10049. She is the first author of the article “Platelet Activation Near Point-like Source of Agonist: Experimental Insights and Computational Model” and actively participates in international conferences. For instance, Starodubtseva E. S. presented at the ALT’24 conference in Vladivostok with the talk titled "Laser-induced Agonist Release for Blood Platelet Activation Control."

Danil Shershnev

D. V. Shershnev is a student at the Faculty of Physics, Novosibirsk State University (NSU), working on his thesis in the Laboratory of Optics and Dynamics of Biological Systems at Novosibirsk State University (NSU). His research is focused on photoinduced nitric oxide (NO) release from BODIPY derivatives. D. V. Shershnev is part of the team for the RSF project 23-75-10049, which studies platelet activation using combined stimuli.