Laboratory for Biomedical Photoacoustics

• The laboratory has completed the first stage of creation of a laboratory of biomedical photoacoustics for research of a new concept for diagnostics and treatment of terminal diseases including cancer, infections and cardiovascular conditions proposed by the leading scientist and their introduction into clinical practice.
• We have developed a prototype of a device for in vivo photoacoustic flow cytometry based on state of the art lasers, acoustic detectors and a registration system with special software.
• Our researchers have developed dynamic phantoms of skin vessels with dynamic blood cell phantoms for calibration of photoacoustic flow cytometers.
• We have conducted testing of main parameters of a photoacoustic flow cytometer using phantoms and demonstrated general possibility of detection of circulating tumor cells in the presence of melanoma using algorithms for fast analysis of photoacoustic signals.
• Our researchers have produced new multilayer nanoshells for usage as multimode fluorescent label and photoacoustic contrast agent for analysis of circulating tumor cells.
• We have experimentally demonstrated possibility of a new combined method of tissue optical clearing for enhancement of delivery of laser radiation into biological tissues as a part of a photoacoustic flow cytometer.

Implemented results of research: We have developed an experimental prototype of a photoacoustic flow cytometer and demonstrated its work using new phantoms of blood and multilayer nanostructures as new prospective photoacoustic contrast agent

Education and career development:

• We have organized training in equipment operations for conducting scientific research at the Laboratory for professionals from the following organizations: Saratov State Medical University named after V. I. Razumovskiy (Russia), Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia), Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Russia).
• Internships have been organized for employees of the Laboratory at the laser laboratory of the leading scientist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (USA) including within grants of the President of the Russian Federation for education abroad won by members of the academical staff.

Organizational and structural changes:

On the grounds of the Laboratory we have created a collective utilization center with such unique equipment as in vivo flow cytometry for various applications in medicine and biology.

Other results: We organized the 20th International Conference on Photoacoustic and Photothermal Phenomena, ICPPP 20, 7-12 July 2019, Moscow (Russia).

Collaborations:

• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (USA): exchange of academical staff, joint research and publications
• Saratov State Medical University named after V. I. Razumovskiy (Russia), Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Russia), Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia): joint research and publications