Scientific life in 2013

In 2013, Almazov Federal Heart, Blood and Endocrinology Centre was renamed in Federal Almazov Medical Research Center of the Russian Ministry of Health (hereinafter — the Centre), which is reflected in the increasing range of scientific fields and research of the Centre. In particular, we significantly expanded the line of research in the neurosciences, formed a research group of neuromuscular diseases and group of cognitive impairment; created a new scientific laboratory of operative gynecology. Other key areas of our activity are nuclear medicine and mathematical modeling, bioinformatics.

Federal Almazov Medical Research Centre (former Federal Almazov Centre of Heart, Blood and Endocrinology) unites six institutes — Institute of Heart and Vessels, Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics , Institute of Experimental Medicine , Institute of Endocrinology , Institute of Hematology, and Institute of Perinatology and pediatrics — including more than 67 research departments, laboratories , sectors and groups; scientific research staff is 550 people, clinic staff of about 4,000 people — doctors, nurses and support staff; in Federal Almazov Centre there are 2 academicians, 99 doctors and 317 candidates of medical sciences.

The Centre created known in Russia and abroad scientific school which is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach to solve urgent scientific and practical problems of modern medicine on the basis of “breakthrough” technology of fundamental importance to ensure the high-tech scientific medical care delivery.

In accordance with State Task, in 2013 the Centre carried out research work on 44 scientific topics, including 28 basic and 13 applied research topics. Basic and applied research was carried out in the framework of the concept of translational medicine as the main direction of modernization and innovative development of the healthcare system of the Russian Federation.

In 2013, there is significant growth in the reported results, including such parameters as international publications: 30 articles published in international journals. For comparison, in 2012 under the State Task only 19 articles were published. The total publication impact factor was 119 in 2013 (the corresponding figure in 2012 was 90). In general, the task set by the State standards for the publication of articles we exceeded more than twice. Quarterly results in the number of publications in ranking journals by one scientist also exceed the statutory requirements for scientific organizations.
In 2013, we continued the work on the 13 application-oriented topics that results in development to create 9 medical devices, 2 new drugs, as well as their means of their delivery, including the treatment of socially significant diseases. As a part of the all-Russian national epidemiological study, which is a part of the State Task, the Center oversees the work of two regions of Russia — Samara and Orenburg region, together with organizations in these regions we performed dynamic observation of cohorts and assembled a unique bank of biological samples.

For 2013 we significantly improved the key figures of the Centre indexed in RISC (Russian Science Citation Index in the Scientific Electronic Library), including a five-year interval counted for 2008—2012. During 2012—2013 the positive dynamics of the total number of publications in the RISC increased from 931 to 2927, the total number of citations from 836 to 3711, the Hirsch index (h- index) increased from 11 to 24, g-index from 15 to 39, the average number of citations per publication from 0.48 to 0.84. Summary Hirsch index of the researchers working today at the Centre, in accordance with the development strategy exceeded 640 and equals 866. The average age of scientists is 44 years old; the number of scientific personnel under the age of 39 is more than 50 %. 18 employees of the Center have Hirsch index above 10.

In addition to the State Task in Science category during 2013 the Centre carried out 14 federal program and subsidies for the execution of research and development, received 6 grants, participated in 4 international projects. Federal Almazov Centre acted as a key performer from Russia Union State program (Russia, Belarus) “Development of new methods and technologies for regenerative therapy of abnormal tissues and organs using stem cells”.
With a wide range of research and specialists Federal Almazov Medical Research Centre is presented today as a participant in all 14 scientific platforms of the Russian Ministry of Health, in 5 platforms the Center staff is included in expert commissions, 2 researchers are members of the Scientific Council. Research teams and individual researchers of the Centre actively participated in the formation of scientific topics platforms, and applied for contest topics within the Federal Target programs of the Ministry of Education.

Received awards and prizes:

• Bourakovsky Medal presented at the XIX All-Russian Congress of Cardiovascular Surgeons of Russia in Bakulev Centre for Cardiovascular Surgery, November 2013.
• Diploma for the development of “Cardioprotection method”, Russian patent number 2456024 in the “100 best inventions of Russia — 2012”.
• Diploma of the best innovative projects in the field of science and higher education of the St. Petersburg Committee for Science and Higher Education in 2013 in the category “Best Innovative Idea” for the project “Development of hardware and software system for fluorescence evaluation of myocardial ischemia” on St. Petersburg International Innovation Forum.
• Diploma of the winner of the “Member of the Young Research and Innovation Competition” (“U.M.N.I.K.”).

Further Federal Almazov Center plans are great attention to the development of innovative medicine, comprising today the two most important areas: translational medicine which aims at overcoming the translational barriers when basic research has direct clinical application, and personalized medicine (personalized) which is based on molecular diagnostics, pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics, and monitoring of certain diseases treatment.