Article on Molecular Physiology Laboratory Developments Published in "HSE University Science News"
The official HSE University website has published an article titled "New Models for Disease Research: From Petri Dish to Organs-on-a-Chip," focusing on the work of the Molecular Physiology Laboratory at the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology in developing innovative approaches to organ-on-chip modeling and researching preeclampsia — one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications.
Breakthrough Technologies in Preeclampsia Research
Evgeny Knyazev, head of the laboratory, and his team in collaboration with researchers from the V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, utilize advanced microfluidic technologies to create "placenta-on-chip" models. These innovative systems enable reproduction of key placental formation processes and preeclampsia pathogenesis under conditions that closely approximate real-life scenarios.
During placental formation, maternal vessels must become insensitive to vasoconstricting and vasodilating stimuli to ensure stable blood flow in the placenta. "Formally, this is very similar to tumor invasion. Special embryonic cells, like metastases, penetrate maternal tissues and cover vessels from the inside. Since these cells have a different origin than vascular cells, they don't respond to changes occurring in the mother," explains Evgeny Knyazev regarding the mechanism of normal placental development.
From Laboratory Models to Clinical Application
The Laboratory's publication in BioChip Journal presents a review of modern cellular models and demonstrates the evolution of research methods — from traditional Petri dish cultures to complex three-dimensional "organ-on-a-chip" systems. The microfluidic technologies used in the Laboratory enable:
- Modeling blood flow and metabolic exchange between mother and fetus
- Simulating physical impacts (such as heart contractions)
- Creating multilayer structures with different cell types
- Ensuring signal transmission between cellular layers through porous membranes
Personalized Medicine of the Future
The possibility of creating personalized models using patient cells is of particular value. This opens new prospects for assessing individual risks of preeclampsia development, screening potential therapeutic drugs, predicting pregnancy outcomes in high-risk women, and developing individualized medical intervention strategies.
Translational Medicine in Action
As emphasized in the article, creating preeclampsia models is not only an academic task but also an important element of translational medicine aimed at rapidly transferring scientific discoveries from laboratory to clinic. In the future, microfluidic technologies are planned to be combined with big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and automated drug testing platforms.
Scientific Support for the Project
The research is conducted with support from the HSE University Fundamental Research Program within the "Centers of Excellence" project framework, as well as with support from the Russian Science Foundation (grant 24-14-00382).
Preeclampsia affects approximately 8% of all pregnancies worldwide and remains one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal mortality. Despite decades of research, the exact causes of the disease are not fully understood, making the laboratory's work particularly relevant and significant.
The full text of the article is available on the official HSE University website: "New Models for Disease Research: From Petri Dish to Organs-on-Chip"