HSE University Scientists Win 2024 Best Russian Research Paper Competition

Leading scientists from HSE University have won the Scientific Category of the 2024 Best Russian-Language Scientific and Popular Science Works Competition by HSE University employees in the "Biology and Medicine" section for their research on predicting the effectiveness of chemotherapy with gemcitabine in patients with bladder cancer.

The winning team includes members from the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, A. P. Zhiyanov and S. A. Slobodov; the International Laboratory of Microphysiological Systems, M. R. Yanova and E. V. Stepanova; and the Laboratory of Research of Molecular Mechanisms of Longevity, I. D. Antipenko. Their study, "Intracellular Gemcitabine Monophosphate Levels Predict Chemotherapy Efficacy in Gemcitabine-Treated Patients with Bladder Cancer," has been published in the journal "Doklady. Biochemistry and biophysics."

Scientists from the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology have developed a pharmacomolecular model that allows predicting the effectiveness of gemcitabine treatment, one of the main drugs used in bladder cancer chemotherapy.

Despite its frequent use in bladder cancer treatment regimens, gemcitabine is effective in only 30-60% of cases. This variation is due to individual patient differences that affect tumor sensitivity to the drug. The new model assesses the relative level of intracellular gemcitabine monophosphate, which depends on the activity of certain cell transport proteins and enzymes. The significance of the gemcitabine monophosphate level in predicting clinical outcomes, including complete and partial responses to therapy, stabilization, and disease progression, has been demonstrated.

The developed model could serve as the basis for personalized medicine in oncology, allowing doctors to more accurately tailor treatment plans for bladder cancer patients, significantly increasing the chances of successful recovery and improving the quality of life for patients.