Evgeny Knyazev Delivers Lecture "An Organ Made of Plastic and Cells" at VDNKh as Part of "The Faces of Science"

On 11 July 2026, at Pavilion No. 30 "Biotech" at VDNKh, Evgeny N. Knyazev, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology at the HSE University Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology and a featured scientist of the fifth season of "The Faces of Science," delivered a public lecture entitled "An Organ Made of Plastic and Cells: New Medicine Without Human Experiments," dedicated to organ-on-a-chip technology.

On 11 July 2026, Pavilion No. 30 "Biotech" at VDNKh hosted a public lecture entitled "An Organ Made of Plastic and Cells: New Medicine Without Human Experiments." The lecture was delivered by Evgeny N. Knyazev, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, who was featured as one of the scientists in the fifth season of "The Faces of Science" project.

The lecture began at 2:00 PM and was free to attend with prior registration; the event was supported by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's "Decade of Science and Technology" initiative. Evgeny Knyazev explained to the audience why developing new drugs takes years and costs billions of dollars, noting that drug candidates are typically tested for years on mice, rats, and monkeys, whose physiology differs substantially from that of humans.

The lecture centered on organ-on-a-chip technology — transparent devices about the size of a matchbox in which real, living human tissue is cultured. Attendees learned how these biochips are constructed and how a single device can recreate an entire system of organs: "breathing" lungs, an intestine with its own microbiota, a liver, a brain, and even a placenta.

Following the lecture, Evgeny Knyazev highlighted three key advantages of the technology. First, organs-on-a-chip reduce reliance on animal experiments in preclinical testing: such models are physiologically closer to humans, addressing ethical concerns while also improving the accuracy of drug efficacy predictions. Second, unlike conventional two-dimensional cell cultures, which fail to reproduce the three-dimensional architecture of tissues and complex intercellular interactions, chip-based models allow for more detailed simulation of these processes and better prediction of drug toxicity and efficacy. Third, the technology paves the way for personalized medicine, as models could eventually be built using a specific patient's own cells to select the most effective treatment.

The lecture was part of the educational program of "The Faces of Science," a project that throughout 2026 introduces broad audiences to leading Russian scientists and their research at venues across Moscow and the regions. A full recording of Evgeny Knyazev's lecture is available at: https://vk.ru/wall-226101350_910.

The Laboratory of Molecular Physiology thanks the organizers of the "Biotech" pavilion at VDNKh for the invitation and congratulates Evgeny Knyazev on a successful lecture.