
HSE Laboratory Research Fellow Anton Zhiyanov Successfully Defends PhD Thesis in Computer Science
On 27 February 2026, Anton P. Zhiyanov, a research fellow at the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, successfully defended his dissertation “Methods for Evaluating the Quality of Linear Classifiers for microRNA Sequence Analysis” before the HSE University Dissertation Council in Computer Science. The thesis develops an axiomatic framework for comparing classification metrics, proposes new statistical tools for verifying linear classifiers, and applies them to the bioinformatics problem of microRNA isoform prediction. By its decision of 26 March 2026, the Dissertation Council conferred the sought-after degree on Anton.

Head of HSE Molecular Physiology Laboratory Awarded Moscow Government Prize for Young Scientists
On February 11, 2026, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin presented the Moscow Government Prizes for Young Scientists for 2025. Among the 77 laureates was Evgeny Knyazev, Associate Professor of the Basic Department of the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS at HSE University's Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, and Head of the Molecular Physiology Laboratory. Evgeny Knyazev was awarded for a cycle of research on the role of microRNA in the mechanisms of development and diagnostics of oncological, viral and inflammatory diseases, and preeclampsia.

HSE Researchers Identify Molecular Markers of Hypoxia in Preeclampsia
Researchers at the Molecular Physiology Laboratory of HSE University presented results of a multidisciplinary investigation into preeclampsia, correlating single-cell sequencing data from placental tissue in early-onset preeclampsia with experimental hypoxia induction in cell models. For the first time, gene expression profiles in diseased placental samples were directly compared to the molecular response of trophoblasts subjected to chemical hypoxia induction using a novel oxyquinoline derivative.
